Day and Night
by jasmin flower
Summary: After a heartbreak that causes Sakura to turn to Naruto with thoughts of being alone forever, she's sent to a village to spy but falls for the leader, a mysterious man named Day!  It's better than it sounds, I swear!  Rated M for a reason! Rape and lemons
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! It's been a little bit since I wrote a Naruto fanfic, and decided it sounded like fun! Hope you all agree!

Anyway, I'm all cracked out on LM.C and Aloe juice. Yum!

Disclaimer- It's not mine. I swear, the wtf of this manga totally belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 1

It was one of those nights that made your head spin. Between four missions, three grope attempts and nearly as many ignored smiles, Sakura was quickly losing her cool. She sat and gasped for breath, watching as Naruto and Sasuke were finally able to catch the frigging dog. Kakashi frowned, looking up at the sky. "Let's get this done quickly, it looks like rain." He looked over at the boys and Sakura stood from the path before them, a frown sturdily in place. Kakashi didn't even look at her, as did Sasuke as they passed. Naruto looked at her, noticing her clenched hands shaking at her sides.

"Sakura-chan, You need to go rest after this. I don't think the chill in the air is good for you." He smiled softly, dragging the dog on the leash behind him. Sakura reached out and grasped the strap and yanked it from Naruto's grasp, determined to be helpful in some way to this mission. Naruto frowned and sighed as he followed without a complaint.

It was late that night when Sakura was dressed for bed, had finished brushing her teeth when she heard the voice at her window.

"Sakura-chan, you need to keep your mind about you more. Remember that the reason you weren't very helpful on the last mission was because you were able to do the mission before on your own. I don't like to see you upset like that."

"Who do you think you are to talk to me about my usefulness? I'll be as much use to Sasuke-kun as I can. Don't think for a moment that anything you say will ever effect me."

"Please don't make this about me. Remember, the same looks he gives you are the ones you give me. I would love to be useful to you, but I won't worry about the little things to the point where it damages my health."

"If it's not about you, then why are you here?" Sakura stuck her head out the window, glaring at the blonde ninja who was looking up into the sky.

"I noticed the rising of your temperature. I was worried you were catching a cold. I came by to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine." She grumbled as she pulled her head back within the building.

"You're not. Your temperature is at least at a hundred and two."

"What?" She ran back to the window and grabbed his collar, dragging his head into the window to tap hers. "No! I can't be sick!"

"You are because you were so worried about your usefulness that you got stuck in the rain for an hour dragging a dog. You need to stay home tomorrow and rest."

"I won't."

"Or I'll tell Sasuke that I saw you in your nightgown." Naruto looked down, for the first time in the visit leering at her.

Sakura covered herself with a blanket and nearly screamed. "Get out!" She yelled and Naruto grinned, teasing her now. "Come on! Just one peek?"

"NARUTO!" She now screamed, grasping him by the throat and doing her best to toss him from the window, but she wasn't able to send him that far. "I will NEVER show you what's under this!"

"You'll wait for Sasuke and never show anyone. If you ever willingly show anyone what's underneath that gown and they don't keep you, I promise I'll take care of you." He smiled softly at her and she frowned.

"If I ever agree to live with you outside of a mission, I'll leave Konoha! At that time I'll be convinced I'm insane!" She screamed as she slammed the window.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

It was a good three hours that Sakura sat on Naruto's floor with her arms around his neck crying her eyes out. Her parents moved away shortly after she turned 18, and her boyfriend was more than happy to inform her that she was no longer important and leave her for someone else. She was worried about what she was going to do.

Then Naruto took her in. She'd only lived with him for the last few months, but it was long enough for her to lose just about everything. She'd been told that he was scamming her, she heard it, but was still surprised when she showed up at her apartment to find the locks changed, all of her stuff gone (She found this out after breaking down the door) and a simple note.

_Sakura_

_Found someone else_

_not coming back._

_Have fun!_

_Eriko_

Naruto was there the instant she told him on the phone that she needed help. "Where are you? I'll come get you."

She cried her eyes out the whole way as Naruto carried her back from the other side of town. When they got there she just kept crying. Naruto just sat there and smoothed her hair beneath his hand and frowned the whole time.

"You know you can stay with me. I'll go get you cloths and stuff, I've been saving up. I'll go out today and look for a bigger apartment. Does that sound good?"

She just sniffed and nodded her head, earning a wide eyed stare from Naruto for a moment before a huge smile. "Really? You'll move in with me?" He sounded so excited and Sakura just smiled and nodded.

"At least I still have you." She sobbed again as she reached out and pulled Naruto in for a hug. "Thank you **sniff** for being there for me! I just can't believe this! Everything I own! He took everything!"

"You didn't have much left. He'd been stealing from you the whole time." Naruto frowned and sighed.

"I promise, I'll take care of you for as long as you need, if not longer." He smiled and Sakura nodded into his wet shoulder.

"Heh heh, Didn't we make a promise about something like this once a long time ago?" Naruto grinned and Sakura stilled, her eyes wide looking up at him.

"I'm not leaving Konoha." She frowned and Naruto chuckled.

"I don't want you to." He hugged her and she calmed, surprised at the joy he took from such a simple act. She decided not to end it and just sat there, her arms on his hips, his arms on her back, his head leaning softly against hers.

It was two days later that Naruto had gotten a two bedroom apartment and only a day after that when all of his stuff was moved over.

He was surprised when on the third night at the new apartment Sakura walked in, looking down at him with tears in her eyes. "Can I sleep here with you?"

"WHAT?" Naruto jumped up and Sakura shook her head.

"I just... I don't want to be alone." She frowned and Naruto calmed, scooting over to allow her space. She climbed in and curled up, her head on his shoulder and he just laid there, surprised.

"Haven't you ever slept with a woman before?"

"Of course not." He frowned, a deep blush slowly making it's way down his throat.

She looked up at him and giggled before closing her eyes. "Good night. Thank you."

"Good night." He smiled before closing his eyes.

He woke the next morning to see the bed beside him bare and sighed. It must have been a dream after all. He stood and stretched, walking from the room in his boxers to see Sakura in the kitchen, cooking. Naruto smiled to see her at least somewhat back to normal.

One thing all that medical training did was teach her to read and carry out any recipe. She was nearly at a professional chefs level. Naruto sat at the table and watched her with a soft smile. "Morning."

She turned with a smile and nodded. "Good morning! Sorry if I kept you awake last night. I just couldn't sleep."

"It's fine." He smiled and sighed. It wasn't just a dream after all.

They made themselves comfortable over the next few months, goofing off, running on missions and such. Sai was convinced there was something less innocent between them, and for all Naruto cared he could keep that train of thought.

Sakura didn't seem to mind either, which surprised the other. Was there something? Did he miss it?

That would so be his luck...

It was nearly a year later, Naruto at 26, Sakura at 25 that things really changed.

"Sakura, I'm sending you on a long mission. You may be gone a few months or a few years. I need you to go keep tabs on one of the smaller villages at the border."

"Is this a solo? Isn't Naruto going with me?"

"He's not." Tsunade sighed, looking over the papers at the girl. "The area I'm sending you to is known for being stuck in the middle of battles. They have many casualties, and as such many people who really shouldn't be in the Fire Country at all. That's why I'm sending you and not him. I was considering sending Sai or Ino with you, but after looking over the situation, I feel that it'll be safer sending you alone."

Sakura nodded, but didn't speak another word. It was a good two hours till she walked back through the door to her home, Naruto sitting on the couch, eating a cup of ramen. "I'm being sent away."

"WHAT?" Naruto jumped up, nearly screeching. "What do you mean, sent away?"

"Tsunade's sending me to another village. I may not be back for years." Naruto just stood and stared, his ramen now dropped and all over the floor. His eyes were wider than Sakura had ever seen them. He looked more surprised and terrified than he did when he heard Sasuke had defected.

Sakura went to pack and Naruto crept out.

"You can't send her away!" Naruto yelled, an apologizing Shizune still trying to drag him away from the door.

"It's alright, Shizune. He has every right to be here yelling at me right now." Shizune frowned, nodding and backed away, allowing Naruto to step into the room.

"I almost couldn't do it." She frowned. "Sakura's like a daughter to me. Not to mention, since she's been living with you you're almost human..." Tsunade looked at him with narrowed eyes and all he could do was wonder which incident she was referring to. "In the end, I realized that with her medical knowledge and strength, it was her or me. Unfortunately, I need to remain here."

Naruto clenched his hands and frowned. "First Sasuke and now her."

"She won't be gone forever. I'm honestly hoping that someone realizes she's a spy quickly so she just comes back." Tsunade sighed and looked up at the blonde, her eyes reflecting the pain in his. "We have to remember, though. This is Sakura. She knows how to take care of herself. I'll be sending her money every week as well as making sure she sends me an update on her situation every week. If I miss a single one, if it's a day late, I'm sending in troops to pull her out. I'm making sure that she's safe above all else."

"What if Sasuke finds her? What if someone else finds her? We've made a few enemies over the years." Naruto's voice showed his resignation, but he still held some of the fire in his actions.

"I don't know..." Tsunade sighed and turned to the white cup at the corner of her desk. Naruto noticed it was already half empty. "For now, just go and be supportive. She needs you right now as much as you need her."

Naruto returned to the apartment with tears in his eyes. "No matter what, when you come back I'll still have your room for you. You can always come back here."

Sakura turned to him and took the few steps across the room from the half packed bag on her bed and grasped desperately to him, tears and sobs finally breaking her hard face.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Hope you all enjoyed so far! Next chappy should be up soon!

Til then,

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	2. Chapter 2

Hey all! Back again! (Me, not you. Well, I hope you...) I'm so falling in love with the band The Gazette! I know, they're supposed to be the first Japanese band we fall for, but they're the most recent for me.

This chapter will be a little angsty, but not terribly. It's mostly Sakura adjusting to a new life, a new place and all.

Anywho, On with the show!

Disclaimer- Anime=Manga with all the good stuff cut out.

Chapter 2

Sakura looked around the village. She thought it would have been... bigger. It was only a few businesses, a few houses, maybe fifty buildings in all. Tsunade had already made arrangements for her at the local inn for a month, till she found an apartment. She was honestly surprised to hear what her weekly income would be. Enough for an apartment, all her expenses and a bit to party on easily. Not to mention a bonus when she found an apartment to buy new furniture. She walked up and checked into the inn with her new name, one she chose herself specifically to draw trouble. Uzumaki Sakura. It would drag in all the ninja hunters and she could be done with this whole tragedy faster. She had a feeling Tsunade knew why she chose the name, as she chuckled when she made out the fake certificates. (Well, they weren't really fake since she was the Hokage and it was on official paper.)

She dropped her bag off after looking around the room and sliding on the Konoha Jounin jacket and went down to the pub.

"Wow. You're either really stupid or really ballsy." One man next to her chuckled at the outfit choice. "That outfit will get most people killed."

"I can cure that." She grumbled as she handed the man at the bar ten thousand ryo and nearly snarled. "Whatever you have that will knock me totally off of my ass fastest, keep them coming." The man at the bar looked at the decent amount in his hand and smiled. "Think you'll need someone to help you get home afterwards? I have a few female guards that will be more than happy for whatever you don't drink of this."

"I can put away more than you'd think."

This ended with a hardcore drinking match with the man who was sitting next to her. He seemed pleasant, she could see a small strip of blonde hair jutting out next to his one exposed blue as the sky eye. The rest of his face save his mouth were covered by some thin mask, like what Kakashi wore. She could tell from looking at it that the only thing that looked like it needed a mask was the other eye, which seemed to have some sort of protrusion. She frowned as she looked at it after a few drinks and sighed. "What's wrong with your eye?"

"THAT'S a little personal." He murmured and she shook her head.

"I'm a medic. I may be able to help. It may not be perfectly working after, but at least it shouldn't show through the mask."

"This is something I need to keep. A reminder of what happens when I don't keep my life on track." He smiled as he held out his hand. "Everyone here calls me Day."

"Day?" She slurred on the 'Y' staring at him with a hint of surprise in her tone.

"Like the daylight. Bright sunshine, warmth, That's me!" He grinned as they each took down their twelfth shot of some sort of uber-fermented sake.

After five more Day called it quits and nearly passed out on the floor. The bartender was considerate enough to get one of the guards to take him home before Sakura stood and started walking away.

"Miss, don't you want your change? You only used half."

"Keep it. The name is Uzumaki Sakura." She smiled and the man behind the counter dropped his bottle as she left.

They knew the name of the Jinchuriki out here. That should make things either a lot easier or a lot harder.

Either way she slept really well that night.

She woke early the next morning and made her way to the town hall with her papers. "I'm here as the new doctor." She told the man behind the desk at the town's hall and he looked over the papers, his eyes steadily widening as he read on.

"You're highly recommended from the Hokage?"

"She taught me. I better be a good doctor by now." Sakura frowned, the remnants from the hangover just dissipating. The man nodded and looked over.

"I'll send you right in to the town's leader. He should be available." He stood quickly and ushered her through to a room in the back.

The man behind the desk was very difficult to see. First off, the room was nearly pitch black. Second, his head was down on the table. She could tell who it was from the sound of his heart beating.

"Hello, Day."

"Sakura-san. Surprised to see you here." He slowly lifted his head from the table, his mask quite a bit different from the night before. It was more of an eye patch, his hair now visible. She was surprised to see long blonde hair halfway down his back. He looked oddly familiar. There was something about him that she knew she should remember, but it just wasn't connecting.

Or maybe 17 shots of super-sake was too much.

Either way she looked him over.

He was thin, as she could already tell. He was a good five years older than her, but he was almost cute. The black cloth that covered his eye was nearly hidden by his bangs, an odd symbol right above where his eye should be.

"What's the symbol? You're not from the Fire Country?"

"No, I'm a transfer." He grinned, another big scream went off in Sakura's head. The secretary handed the papers over to the other man and Sakura waited for him to turn the lights on.

He didn't though and looked the papers over quietly.

"You can't even see them, can you?"

"Not a bit."

"Turn the lights on?"

"Head still hurts."

Sakura giggled as she reached into her bag and handed him a small bottle. "Drink this."

"No weird Alice in Wonderland shit, right?"

"Not that kind of medic." She smiled. Day sighed before uncorking and chugging the contents. He looked at the paper and she could see when the pain started to dissipate. She could tell there were other pains that he had, the medicine she'd given him had worked with those as well, as he sat straighter and tilted his head differently.

More likely he had lower back and neck pain. From the way he held the papers she could tell that he was having some issues with his hands, but they were covered in the fingerless gloves. She looked at him as he sighed and reached over, turning on the lights.

"Ah. There you are. What kind of medicine was that? Almost nothing has worked on me in years."

"Just a little something I whipped up." Sakura grinned as he finally looked down at the papers with the intention to READ them.

"Uzumaki... Sakura..." His eye widened quickly before narrowing again. "Medic, trained by the Hokage... You're a special case, aren't you? Probably a spy sent to make sure we're all behaving, knowing that our town may be over run with the ninja battles again."

'YES!' Sakura yelled in her head. She was discovered! If she packed up now, she could be home before tomorrow morning!

"Should I leave then?"

"Don't you dare. I want to show you what kind of village this is. You're a medic. We don't have any around here, and that's damned useful right about now."

Sakura frowned. "Injuries due to the battles?"

"Children. Someone visited recently and all of the children fell ill soon after. If you can make a medicine like that, I'm sure you'll be able to help them. But first, let me give you the tour." Day stood and Sakura was surprised. He was thin, but he had broader shoulders. He had this huge presence, like charisma and hormones dripped from him, but he wasn't much taller than she was.

He walked into the bright day and smiled at the people in town. "Hello, Chiru-san! We have a poor person here I'm sure your son will want to be wary of! We have a med-nin! Sakura, this is Chiru. She has a twelve year old son who's dream is to become a Konoha ninja. You'll get to know him _very _well in the next while." He grinned as he patted the old woman, hiding the fact that he was helping her up a step. Sakura watched his hands' movement and smiled.

He was very kind.

"Kimi! Kimi, get down here!" He called up to a room at the inn and a woman came down with a frown, her eyes dark. She looked as if she hadn't slept in days. "We have a new medic. She seems skilled with making medicines. We may be in luck." Day grinned and a little hope seeped into the woman's eyes as she turned to Sakura.

"Are you? Are you really a medic?" She nearly sobbed and Sakura nodded.

"I am... Why? What's-"

"Her son is the weakest currently from the plague. He probably doesn't have much time left. Unfortunately, she has three children and the other two aren't doing much better."

"I'll see what I can do. I'll, Uh, Day, I'll come by to finish the tour later. I think this takes priority."

"I happen to agree, but I'll stay with you. After all, you don't know where any of the things you may need in this village are. If you need something from the apothecary, that's it. Kimi can't go any farther from the building than this. She's staying with her children at the inn now because her husband is afraid of catching the illness."

"It's affecting the adults?" Sakura frowned, looking between the two of them and notice a slight darkening in Kimi's eyes.

"All but three children have caught it, not a single adult." Day frowned and Sakura stared for a moment before realization hit.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Sakura murmured to Kimi who shrugged.

"He was an ass anyway. I don't need him. I do need them though! Please help us!" Kimi fell to her knees, her hands at Sakura's feet.

"Please stand up. Take me to the children."

It was nearly half an hour later. She'd walked into the room, taken temperatures, pulse rates, breathing rates and did a general assessment on each of the children.

She could tell what was happening from the fact it wasn't happening to the adults.

It was an illness, probably a failure from some Kekkei Genkai that caused hormones to kick into overdrive.

"Since this illness started, did most of the adults in the village lose some weight, and not just due to stress?"

"I have. I lost ten pounds in the last two weeks."

"I gained ten." Kimi sighed and Sakura grinned.

"Everyone has this illness. There may be a few here and there that don't, but I won't need much to cure it. It's a hormonal imbalance. In adults it just causes some of the slight issues we went through in puberty, but for those who don't have the hormones in their system it just runs rampant. It's causing damage to the liver, the hypothalamus and at the same time is trying to kick start puberty. I'll have something whipped up in an hour." Sakura said, walking the two doors down to her room. She didn't bother closing the door, hearing Day's footsteps behind her.

She reached into her bag and went to work.

After an hour, as she stated, she returned to the other room with a handful of syringes.

The change in the children was almost instantaneous. Their skin lost the yellow sheen, their eyes started to widen more and the youngest stated that she was hungry. Sakura smiled.

"How many people are in this village?"

"One hundred and three, including you."

"I'll need to make a lot more of this."

"Don't you just need it for the kids?"

"Do you want to reinfect them?" Sakura stared at him with a playful grin on her lip.

"Alright. What can I do to help?"

"Take me to the apothecary." Sakura smiled.

They spend the next few hours walking through town, Day told everyone they saw that there was a cure, but everyone needed it. Sakura was giving shots every few seconds it seemed, and she realized why. As one person got the shot, they told everyone they saw to go to the town square.

By six that evening Sakura looked in her hand with a frown. "We're missing two people. I still have shots."

"We haven't gotten them yet." Day looked at her curious and Sakura frowned. She was already this tired.

"That sounds about right. Pull your sleeve up on your arm."

"I-" Day's eyes turned to panic and he stepped away.

"I can't give this through cloth."

Day frowned, looking down at his shirt.

He grasped at the waist of it and yanked it up. "The sleeves are too tight. I can't just roll them up. Please don't panic." He murmured and Sakura nodded. If he had scars it was fine. She was a med nin, she knew she'd already seen worse.

From the neck down he looked like he'd been horribly burned. She noticed a gash in his shoulder and across his stomach with the thread still in place, but the wounds didn't look right. They looked like they'd already healed open.

She frowned, wondering what kind of torture this man had been through.

She stepped forwards and quickly gave him the shot, not even worrying about it. "If they're that troublesome I may be able to heal them up a bit more for you. The scars I should be able to mostly get rid of, but I'm curious about those wounds." Sakura looked at his shoulder and he very quickly yanked his shirt back on.

"The scars, sure. I'd love to be rid of them. The others aren't scars. If you can get rid of them, it would be a fucking miracle, yeah."

"Yeah?" Sakura grinned at him and he just stared at her.

"Yeah." He repeated and just stared at her. "It's been a while since I did that. It's probably because of you. You seem so familiar."

"You too." Sakura frowned and just looked at him.

"Trust me, don't look too hard. If we remember where we know each other from it would probably be a bad thing." He frowned and Sakura looked at him.

"Why is that?"

"I used to be a very different person. A cold, psychotic man. I don't want to remember anything from then. It almost always hurts someone. We've had nearly thirty people leave the village after recognizing me, yeah." He frowned at the word usage again.

Sakura frowned. She knows that voice, that hair. Those wounds.

She would figure it out tomorrow. Now it was time for food then bed.

"You're welcome to join me at the restaurant. You haven't eaten since we met up, and with the dedication you show I'm willing to bet you didn't eat before then either, did you?" He smiled, trying to forget the previous conversation and Sakura nodded.

"You're pretty good at that. A restaurant sounds like a good idea." She smiled and he turned, leading the way.

The restaurant wasn't very big. Just a few seats beneath a small awning and Sakura looked around. It reminded her of Ichiraku. The curtain behind her was almost iridescent, it seemed to change colors in the sun. On the front the word "Flower" showed.

Sakura looked around, noticing the lack of menus. "Oi! Matsu! Two sushi bento!"

The woman behind the counter looked at Sakura and frowned. "Don't let him sweet talk you into eating something you don't want. Take a look at the menu. I'll be right back." She handed over a piece of paper and Sakura frowned, looking it over.

Pork ramen, Chicken ramen, seafood ramen, sushi bento, tempura bento, pork chop bento. Green tea, black tea, jasmine tea and sake.

"There's not too much on this, but it definitely all looks interesting." Sakura smiled and Day leaned over, pointing out the things he took preference on the menu.

"I still recommend the sushi bento, but all of the ramen is good. She also always has natto sushi, but she never puts it on the menu.

Matsu came back a little bit later with a smile. "Alright! What would you like?"

Sakura smiled. "One chicken ramen and one sushi bento. A green tea as well." Sakura smiled and handed the woman the menu only to have her put it down in front of Sakura, pulling out another for Day.

She was a bigger woman, short gray hair, but she only looked around thirty. Her dark eyes drifted around before she got to work on the food.

"She's very careful." Sakura noticed and Day nodded.

"She used to be a ninja. She gave up the life to run this shop. You'll find a bit of that around here. That's why we worry when a spy comes in. If we're from Konoha, we worry about being caught and killed for treason. If we're not, then we're going to be killed for being here, or sent home to be tortured first. I'm telling you the truth in hopes that you'll understand why I have to make this next request."

Sakura looked over at him as he leaned his head down.

"Please lie in your reports. Don't mention that we're ninjas. Don't mention that half of us are from other countries. It would end this town as well as put all of the children here in orphanages."

Sakura's eyes widened at his words.

"We're able to keep out the other intruders into Konoha, and we don't want help from Konoha either. We're here because we were tired of the violence. We will fight to keep the safety here, but we are a very peaceful community. I was going to try and show you that today, but I didn't get the chance and I don't know when you're going to have to send a report."

Sakura just stared.

"I won't mention ninjas or the people from other countries. That's not what I'm here for." She smiled and he looked at her curious. She had a feeling that if she lied he would instantly know.

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm cursed. I'm supposed to act as the town medic and see if I can find any spies from other countries, as well as see if I can find anything about uprisings."

"Uprisings? Like the one hundred and two people here could take out Konoha. That's good, yeah." Day grinned as he looked over the sushi tray being delivered before him.

Twelve sushi, four sashimi, kimchee, fried rice and a side of green beans.

Sakura looked hers over and smiled. "Oh, this smells so good!"

"You're telling the truth. That's why you were sent. I can guarantee then, that we'll get along great, yeah." Day grinned again and Sakura frowned.

"I have a feeling that you should be wearing eye makeup." She frowned and his eyes widened.

"I used to. We really did meet before. Please, just forget it. Know me now, not as I was, alright?" His eyes held a sadness that Sakura couldn't place.

"Yeah." She grinned again as she started to eat.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

That's it for this chapter! You've probably figured out who it is by now, but don't spoil it for everyone else! (That would be anyone who hasn't gotten to Shippuden lol)

Hope to see you here for the next... almost exciting chapter!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! I'm halfway through chapter 5 and realized I really need to come back and add more in here to fill in the relationship between Sakura and Day. Yeah, it gets pretty in depth.

Anyway, enjoy!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- Do not meddle in the affairs with dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Another chapter 3!

Sakura woke to the open window's sunshine bright in her eyes. She sat up and stretched, feeling warmth from the blankets quickly escape her. No matter what, it was cool in the room.

She stood and stretched again, opening the window the rest of the way and looked down on the office. She thought of Day smiling at her the night before and had to hide a blush.

No matter what she had a feeling she shouldn't be blushing at him. He was older than her.

But that could just mean more experienced...

She blushed brighter, turning and sliding on her outfit.

It was only a few minutes til she was at the office door with a grin on her face. "How are things this morning?" She asked as she walked in, seeing Day and the secretary sitting, bored out of their minds.

"Nothing ever happens here. I think it could be a good thing though, in comparison to what it could be." Day yawned and the secretary, who she discovered was named Kaori, nodded slowly in agreement.

"What should I do then?" She asked, having a feeling she already knew.

"Let's finish your tour." Day stood slowly and Sakura nodded.

Honestly, she'd been ready to pull up a chair.

They walked around the city, talking, with Day occasionally pointing out the buildings. "That's where the man who owns the Apothecary lives. If you ever need anything after hours, that's where you go." Sakura nodded, trying her best to remember the buildings he pointed out.

"He can be pretty busy sometimes, he just had his third child. She's cute, but she isn't old enough to cause trouble yet." Day grinned and Sakura looked over with a smile.

"No wife and kids for you yet?" Sakura blushed, feeling weird and flirting with the man.

"Not yet. Doubt anyone would be able to put up with me long enough, though." He smiled at his feet, hiding his own blush and Sakura could only glance and look away as well.

It was at the end of the tour. Sakura had flirted, smiled, grinned and had gone back to her room and sat, sighing.

He was so cute! Even if she had the bells in her head every once in a while, she figured it was just due to not being used to this anymore.

After all, look how her last relationship turned out!

She might as well marry Naruto and just stay celibate forever.

She pulled out a needle and stabbed herself in the chest. The technique only worked with the blood that was close to her lungs.

She turned to the paper on the desk and began to write.

'Sensei and people,

so far this place isn't bad. It's pretty boring.

I was given a tour. It took two hours.

It seems that no one here is suspicious.

I've seen nothing that draws attention.

I've heard nothing about uprisings.

I don't think this mission will end soon

as I was told that I was despirately needed.

I'm probably safer here than at home.

I'll write again soon.

Tell Naruto to mop the floor

and take out the trash as I'm sure he

hasn't yet and I'm not moving back in

with him if he doesn't take care of the

place.

All my love

Uzumaki Sakura'

She sighed as she held the paper to her chest, infusing it with her chakra and pulled it back, forcing more into the letters.

She raised her fingers to her eyes and murmured the words.

"Nipou, Chouju Giga."

The words drew together in the center of the page and leaped off in the form of a blood red rat. She knew by the time it reached Konoha it would be a dark brown.

She laughed when she thought of the face Sai would make if he'd just seen that! It took over a year to be able to get that move down! Unlike Sai, though, she could only get it to work if she used the oxygen enriched blood from her chest.

"Sakura!" She heard and looked over, her eyes wide as Day kicked open the door.

"What's up?" She yelled as he barged in, a small child in his arms, blood covering him.

"She was ran over by a cart coming through! Please say your medical experience isn't just in potions!"

"Bring her here! What's her blood type?" Sakura turned to medic mode, looking the girl over.

She had a gash across her chest and Sakura could see her heart.

"Did you see the accident?"

"No. I think she's an O." Day placed her carefully on the bed and Sakura reached in, feeling the girl's lungs extend. This wasn't good.

"Is she living with her parents?" She asked as she pushed calming chakra in, trying to numb the girl so she didn't die due to the pain.

"Yes."

"Bring them to me." She growled as she started healing the tissue, trying her damnedest to keep her cool.

"What's wrong?" Day look at her, his eye looking at her, taking in her expression. He knew something was wrong.

"This girl has been cut. This isn't a cart injury. It's a clean cut. If it had been a cart, she would have been crushed. She'd already be dead." Sakura murmured, pouring her chakra in, feeling as the bits of muscle and nerve mended.

Day looked at her, his eye just staring. He didn't know how to respond. Her own parents did this? He knew them. This wasn't the kind of people they were. Something was wrong...

"Please, save her." Day fell to the floor, his head on his hands.

"I'm trying." She nearly whispered and Day looked up, seeing the sweat start to bead across her forehead.

He just sat there and stared. He didn't know what else to do. He hated feeling so helpless! He stood and looked, seeing the cut through her chest mend little by little. He just watched, seeing the pieces pull themselves together, the blue cast of Sakura's chakra encasing the four year old girl's open chest.

He just watched before he couldn't anymore.

He ran into the bathroom and Sakura tried to drown out the sound of his choking and gasping.

It was two hours before the girl was halfway together, and Sakura could feel burning in her hands.

"Day!" He came in from the hallway, unable to watch anymore. His eyes were cast at the window and Sakura looked over.

She understood.

"I need a bowl and a glass of ice water, please." Day nodded and turned, headed down the hall.

He came in a few minutes later with the water. He was surprised when she doused her hands in the water before chugging the glass. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but this is exhausting. The concentration of chakra can burn my hands if I'm not too careful." She put her hands in the water again before getting back to work.

She couldn't admit that the time her hands were in the water the blue cast was her trying to heal her own skin. She'd gotten rid of most of the skin by then and was starting to burn into the muscle.

She was able to finish about three hours later.

The girl was safe.

And she'd stay that way.

"Day?" She called out to the hallway and he came in, his eyes cast down at his feet. "She's done." Sakura stood and watched as Day's eye turned to the girl, hope and despair both showing.

"She's not going to have a scar. I took the time to make sure of that. She's too young to carry that burden." Sakura sighed as Day just stared. It was a moment til his eyes turned to her instead.

"I didn't think she'd live." His tone was deathly quiet. "Thank you! I'm forever in your debt!" He fell to his knees and Sakura watched as tears started down his cheeks. "You saved her! You were amazing! I can't..." He held his head down and fell, his hands holding him up.

"Day, where are this girl's parents when this has been going on?" Sakura frowned and Day just sat there, tears making their way to the floor.

"Day?" He shook his head. She frowned and walked over, patting him on the back softly. She understood.

Seeing a child in such pain, being ready to hear that such a young girl was dead, knowing the parents inflicted this sort of suffering was too much for him. She frowned and just patted his back softly. "Don't worry. She's fine. She'll be fine. Now we know what's wrong and we can make sure this doesn't happen again. That's the important part. We can make sure she lives." She sighed before she fell back.

Day looked up and saw her sliding down and panicked, reaching up and catching her.

"What's wrong!" He looked her over and Sakura sighed.

"I've used up too much. I don't have the strength to sit." She chuckled darkly and Day just looked at her.

"I'll take care of you." He sighed, pulling her to his chest.

The next thing she remembered was waking in her bed.

She looked over to find the bed empty except for her. The sun wasn't up.

She didn't know if she'd only been out for a few hours or a few days. She sat up and found her hands bandaged crudely. She held them up and smiled.

She could imagine Day fidgeting with the cloth.

She stood and looked over, seeing a note on the bedside table while she started pouring chakra into her hands, feeling them start to mend.

'Sakura-san

Please take care. Anything you need help with we'll make sure to cover you until your hands heal.'

She was already removing the bandages.

'The girl's parents have admitted to the crime and have been punished. Their house is now home to another family who's mother has been here trying to find a home for them. I'll be helping them adjust for the day.

Please make sure to come down and eat when you wake. Matsu is at work til midnight and after that the store beside hers is open all night. They have been told to help you with anything you may need.

Please make sure to rest.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Day.'

She smiled as she looked over. The whole bed had been changed. She knew the blood reached into the mattress, but she couldn't smell the iron at all.

She went downstairs and Matsu's stall was closed.

She went into the shop beside it and the man behind the counter smiled at her.

"Pink hair. You must be Sakura-sama."

"Please don't refer to me like that. It's odd." She smiled and the man nodded.

"Sakura-san then. What can I do for you?" She looked the man over. He was tall and dark. His eyes seemed to look her over and she felt suddenly violated.

"Day told me to come here and get something to eat. What do you have?"

"Take a look around. Anything you want is on the house. Do you need help holding anything? Day said that your hands were badly burned." The man looked suddenly sad and Sakura held her hands for him to see.

"Taken care of. Thank you." She looked back at the man as she turned to the store's shelves.

He was looking at her, but it was a more curious look than anything. She felt odd about feeling violated earlier. It was a small town and she realized he was probably sizing up the new girl.

She found a few things here and there.

At the end of the last shelf she saw cup ramen and just stared.

She suddenly missed Naruto terribly.

She sat on her bed, eating the rice crackers that she'd gotten.

After the cup ramen she lost her appetite.

She pulled out the needle and paper.

'Naruto

please take care of yourself.

You're the only one I know that I completely trust.

If anything happens to you I don't know what I'll do.

Remember to eat properly.

Remember to smile often.

Remember to rest when you need to.

I'll see you as soon as I can.

I'm not confessing.

Sakura.'

The words turned into a beautiful butterfly and Sakura opened the window, watching as the butterfly flew into the rays of the rising sun.

She sighed as she stripped off her clothing and laid down, watching the sun come into view.

She knew she wouldn't sleep long, but she new she needed a few moments to herself.

She missed her home.

She missed her friends.

She missed her life.

But she knew they needed her here so much more than in Konoha.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Hope you enjoyed! I know it's a little shorter than the other chapters here, but I needed a little more interaction.

You'll understand in a few chapters how important it was to see Day cry. It proves an important thing.

Anyway, see you all soon for another chapter! (I wrote it chapters ago... O_O)

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	4. Chapter 4

I'm back and ready to write! Kick ass!

I really just don't feel like dawdling, so I'll just get right to it!

Dotwiper! Yay! Thank you for the review! Is this fast enough? :D

Disclaimer- disc claimer lol

Chapter 4

It was early when Sakura woke. She'd slept well, but his face kept haunting her. Day. He was very kind, a very careful man. He was sweet and very dedicated.

So why was there a voice in her head telling her to escape?

She frowned as she stood and stretched, grabbing her clothing before headed down to the main office.

Day was in the main room this time, his secretary yelling at him ferociously for not being there the day before during some incident.

"Is everything alright?" Sakura asked and the man behind the counter stood at attention, not saying another word.

"Apparently there was a deadline for a permission slip yesterday and I didn't have it filled out, so I guess we're going to have a party tomorrow which we'll need the whole village to help prepare for so the people in the next village over can come and destroy the city." Sakura's eyes widened and she stepped forwards.

"Not literally. They want us to celebrate with them over the anniversary of the end of the war between the Fire Country, the Rain Country and Taki. This area was being fought over till fifty years ago. Now we have to prepare a party to show how happy we are about it." Day sighed, lifting his hand to his head.

"You don't want to celebrate something like this?"

"Our little village is already busy enough, now we're going to have to prepare, set up, break down and clean up after a whole days partying with a village that knows we're going to be the ones cleaning up. They're known to cause trouble." He looked around as if trying to find something, but Sakura had a feeling that wasn't the reason. "I'm going to have to work on this one all day."

"Do you know of anyone that needs medical attention?" Sakura asked, throwing Day off.

"No, not immediately."

"Then I'm free to help." She grinned, blushing lightly at the fact that she realized she had been flirting.

Day noticed the action and blushed a little himself before nodding. "I'll welcome it." He grinned before rushing back to his office, Sakura following behind.

He broke out paper and a pen and immediately set to work, trying to get all of the plans together.

"Here are a few fliers. Do you think you could put them up around town for me?" He asked, handing Sakura about ten fliers.

She nodded and happily took the papers, headed down to the road.

She decided to start there and work her way around.

She smiled as she put the first one up, reading the contents.

'Anniversary Party to be held tomorrow!

Assistance needed with preparations!

Please inquire at the Main Office's secretary!'

She smiled at the notice before hanging more.

She noticed that about half of the people who saw them grinned while the other half ran to the store to shelter themselves for the day.

After she was finished she returned to the office to find Day nearly running out. "Sakura! I need your assistance again!"

She grinned and nodded, quickly following.

By the end of the day there were streamers all over, tables set to the sides for concession stands and such, people and products to put with them, a few bands getting together and practicing for the next day as well as a few people who were just sitting and chatting about how much fun they would have.

"It's a party. You should relax more. You nearly took this whole thing on by yourself." Sakura looked up at Day who was standing and looking for anything that wasn't completed.

"It's not my style. Partied enough for three lifetimes. Now it's time to work, and this is when the city needs me most." She stared at him with a soft smile. His determination and loyalty to the village was something she truly admired.

"Let's get something to eat and go to bed. It's going to be busy tomorrow. For you as well, during a huge celebration there are bound to be a few in need of a medic."

"That sounds good." She grinned at him as he started walking.

She woke the next morning and stretched, opening her window and instantly regretted it.

Day was in front of the office, the movement from above caught his attention and he looked up and just stared for a moment before covering his eyes. Sakura realized she wasn't dressed at all and jumped away from the window, hearing the cat calls from a few of the men on the street below.

She dressed and ran down, seeing Day helping with the last of the set up from the tables, as a few of the villagers from the other village already started to trickle in.

"Dango?" He asked, holding out a stick for her, his face turned away to hide the blush that he couldn't shake. She took it with a smile.

"Thanks! Looks like everything is complete! You've done very well with the amount of time you had."

"I couldn't have done it without your help." His blush worsened and Sakura tried to hide her grin, as well as the slight blush on her own cheeks. He turned and pointed to one of the nearby concession stands with a big red 'X' on it. "This is your stand, so people know where to go if they need medical help. I also have a map of the area and concessions for you, for food and stuff. I doubt I'll get to see much of you today, so you try and enjoy yourself."

"You put the medical stand across from the main stage?" She asked and he shrugged.

"It's the center of the village, a good place for both. Honestly, I doubt anything too major will happen, just make sure to leave a sign if you head out and come by and check for people every half hour or so. Most of the cases you'll see will be alcohol related. Oh, and the bar isn't serving their special sake today, don't ask for it, as we don't want them to hear about it." He whispered the last part as if it were some huge secret and Sakura giggled.

"Alright."

"Also, I was kind of hoping that you'd, if you would maybe..." He struggled with words for a moment, which Sakura thought was cute. "Would you save a dance for me later?"

She looked at him, her eyes widening before she nodded. "Sure!"

"Great! I better get going. I'll see you around!" He grinned as he nearly danced down the street. Sakura giggled at the situation, but at the same time was trying her best to get rid of the blush that was creeping back into her cheeks.

This was quick. She never got giggly like this over anyone at all. She could definitely see this turning into something big.

But first, she tried to slow the sudden speeding in her heart, was just a dance.

She sat there for an hour, nothing happening, of course, before getting bored. She walked off, looking around the map to find where to go. As she was told she put up a note at the stand saying she was out and went, finding what she truly believed to be the worlds best smelling takoyaki.

She made her way back to her stand and sat, eating the sticks while the band across from her played something soft and melodic. She knew they would be saving the louder music for the party later.

The day went on like that. She sat for an hour, looked on the map til she found something that looked interesting, left her note, then came back, usually nibbling on something.

The music was getting more interesting through the day and Sakura realized that the band on stage was continuously evolving. Every once in a while someone on stage would trade off with someone else and it kept the band from tiring too much, as well as giving them a different sound every time there was a switch.

It was amazing, the way they kept going. The sounds they made were always wonderful.

It was nearly sunset. She'd dealt with three cases of heat stroke, but that was it. She knew, with it getting later that she'd soon start getting the drunks, but for now she was having so much fun dancing at her stand.

A group of people ran by with one man being held with a visibly broken leg.

"Bring him here!" She called and they stilled, seeing the red 'X' and ran over.

"What happened?" She noticed his heart rate sped, and the others with him were covered in small injuries.

"A fight broke out! That guy was insane! He drank so much, then just went on a challenging rampage! I hope that one guy was alright!" One of the men said and Sakura frowned, making sure that she was done numbing the area.

"Where was this fight?"

It was pointed out and Sakura didn't follow the street, cutting through over the hotel, surprising the people at her stand.

She got there and found three huge men standing face to face with Day.

She'd made it in time!

"Day!" She called out, causing him to turn, paling at realizing she was so close to the three before him.

"Back off! They're dangerous!"

"So am I. This village needs you, let me take care of them." She grinned, tightening her gloves.

Day frowned, but noticed the look of determination in her eyes and nodded, stepping back. "If I see you as much as falter I'm stepping in."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"They're stronger than they look."

"I went up against Akatsuki and won. I don't think they're going to cause me much of an issue." Day's eyes widened and he nodded, watching her more intently than she'd believed.

The three before her blanched at the word Akatsuki. "Such a little girl went up against Akatsuki?"

"I was the one to kill Sasori. If you think you may be outclassed, now is a good time to quit, as I've gotten stronger since then."

"You lie." The man in front grinned and caused Day to falter.

"No, she's not. It's you..." His eyes widened and Day stumbled back, his eyes focused on Sakura's back.

He remembered her now.

Sakura threw a punch into the air, a few good feet away from the men and the closest of the three laughed for a split second before he fell silent. He turned to her, looked down at his chest and placed his fingers on his chest, coming back with blood on his fingers.

"I'm excellent at chakra manipulation. I'm just playing with you and as of right now I can cut you all into one inch chunks and take you to the takoyaki stand. I wonder how it would feel to be devoured by your friends and family?" She grinned, the look in her eyes alone causing the man on the right to turn and run.

The one to the left saw his friend run and took off after him.

The one in front just stared at her.

"You say that, but just one hit and your down." He took off at her at speeds that were hard to see.

She could tell from the way he moved that he wasn't able to use ninjutsu. He was only a taijutsu user.

He ran at her and she just stood, taking the punch to the chest with a grin. The man yanked his hand back and screamed. "Every bone in your hand is broken. I happen to be a medic, so I can heal it if you'll behave." Sakura grinned at him, almost hoping he'd punch with the other hand, but he instead conceded.

"SPARE ME!" He screamed and Sakura laughed, looking over at Day who was still just staring at her with wide eyes and Sakura noticed a few beads of sweat.

"Day! Are you alright?" She ran over and Day stepped away from her quickly, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

"Haruno Sakura... Wow, you grew up, yeah." He stared, unable to look away from her eyes that were now locked with his.

Sakura stilled, staring at him, her real name still ringing in her ears. "What? How..."

"Just... lets get him to your stand, yeah." He murmured, finally fighting his eyes away from her.

She looked at him, the way he walked, the look he just gave her. He knew her. It almost infuriated her that she didn't know him.

By the end of the day the guy who she'd beat had a healed hand and was buying Day and Sakura all the alcohol they could drink. The city official for their village stated that it would be considered an offense not to accept any alcohol they were brought and were therefore downing cup after cup of sake.

Day, she noticed was trying to drink half and fake the other, pouring it down to the ground by his side. It did no good, though, as after half of nearly two dozen cups he was stuttering and couldn't stop laughing.

Sakura looked at him with a grin and stood, not faking any of her consumption and placed her hands on the table before her. "Day, let's dance!" She grinned and he looked up at her, his laughter dying down a little.

"Sakura, I'll tell you who I used to be. Tell me if you want to dance with me after that. You'll figure it out soon, I have no composure, yeah." Sakura's eyes widened and she nodded.

He leaned in and whispered one word into her ear. She just stared and turned, looking at him.

"I don't remember who that is." She grinned and he looked at her with a grin. "Therefore, let's dance!" She grinned, grabbing his hand and she dragged him to the main dance area.

Upon noticing the city's leader with a girl on the dance floor, the band grinned and switched over to a slow song.

Sakura, of course wouldn't remember any of this the next morning.

She woke up, her head pounding. She groaned and leaned, feeling warmth beside her and she smiled, snuggling into it. She realized after a moment that it wasn't just from the blankets, her skin was touching skin. Her eyes opened slowly and she saw Day beside her, still asleep. She just stared for a moment.

She felt like she should have felt worse about this.

She noticed the eye patch was gone and was curious, but didn't bother looking, as his bangs were completely covering his eye.

She looked, the way that his long bangs brushed against his collar bone, the muscle in his chest as he breathed in. She could easily tell that she'd done a lot of healing on him during the night, as almost all of the scars on him were gone.

It didn't really surprise her, though. She knew the possibilities of the power she could draw forth during... She gulped as the thought really ran through her mind. It had been over a year and she didn't even remember it.

She knew he'd told her who he was. She thought back and couldn't remember. She wasn't even sure if she'd heard him over the tickle of his breath against her ear. God, she'd only been here a few days! She shouldn't feel this comfortable with someone! Anyone! Even Naruto!

She looked at him as he turned lightly in his sleep. His face turned lightly to hers and she decided it would be better if she didn't get caught by him like this.

She stood and walked over, finding her clothing and sat, getting dressed as the breath behind her seemed to speed up.

He was waking up to find himself naked in Sakura's bed.

She hid her laughter as she pulled her panties on.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Okay! That's it for this chapter! See you really soon! ;D

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back and ready for more! (Woot at a nekkid Day!)

Anyway, due to my own impatience I'll just get on with the chapter!

Dotwiper- I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you for the reviews!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- No time! Nekked Day!

Chapter 5

Day's eye opened and he looked around quickly. Sakura could see the confusion on his face til he saw her topless sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Sakura? What did- I'm- Uh..." His eye widened as he looked around, grasping despirately at his eye patch and sliding it on.

"It's interesting. You woke up in bed with me sitting here. You panic and your first thought is to get your eye patch on." She looked at him with an amused smile. "It's a bit of a pity. I don't remember anything. I hope the healing was done right." She frowned, turning. The medic in her took over and she lowered the blanket on him a little, looking over the healing of the scars across his chest. "Let me know if it gives you any problems, alright?" She smiled and he just stared, nodding.

"You're really calm about this."

"What happened happened. Panicking won't do any good." She shrugged and he frowned.

"But, if you're Uzumaki Sakura now, well, aren't you... married to... that Kyuubi kid?"

"No, it was a name I was hoping would bring trouble so I could go home faster. I'm getting oddly attached to this place though." She smiled and Day just stared at her, sitting up and just watching as the sunshine bounced from her.

He'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

He couldn't stop his hand. She looked over, a little surprised as she felt his fingertips touch her cheek, but just looked at him. She couldn't break the smile off of her face.

He realized how out of himself he was and drew his hand back, blushing like mad.

"Here." Sakura reached down into her bag and held out a potion to him, as well as taking one for herself. "My infamous hangover relief." She giggled and started to uncork the bottle but stopped, realizing she didn't really have a headache. She felt wonderful. She just looked at the bottle and looked back over at Day who seemed to be experiencing the same feeling.

"Do you mind?" Sakura murmured and Day turned to her, his one visible eye catching hers. He would have thought that she was asking him to leave the room, but the look on her face told him that he'd come to the wrong thought.

"Do I mind what?" His voice was soft. He was scared to death. Sakura didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing yet and she just looked down at the blanket by her knee.

"That it was me here?" She asked. She didn't know when she'd lost so much of her self confidence, or when she seemed to regain this much. She was so sure with him that it felt more like she was asking out her middle school crush. She was nervous and worried, but she wasn't scared at all.

"No, I was more worried that you would have minded." He visibly relaxed at her words. She looked at him and smiled.

"I don't know why, but I feel so comfortable around you. There's only one real worry I have right now." Sakura smiled, looking away, now blushing lightly and making Day curious.

"What's up?" He leaned over to her, fighting down a blush as he put his hand on her bare back, trying to be comforting.

"I doubt I took any potions last night, and the only one I had still seems to be here, so... with what happened, there may be a chance..."

Day's eyes widened as he realized what she was worried about. "If anything like that happens, I'll take care of you." He smiled and Sakura looked at him with a surprised look.

She looked at him, the way the warm sun reflected off of his long hair, the blue in his eye shined so brightly and Sakura could only blush. He looked at her and quickly looked away, covering his mouth with his hand.

"I should probably leave..." He started to pull the blankets back, but stopped when Sakura put her hand on his back.

"You don't have to leave yet." He turned to her with a wide eye and watched for her responses.

She wanted him to stay? He felt his heart race, his pulse in his wrists was insane.

She covered her mouth with her hand as well, a very poor attempt to hide her blush, considering she was only wearing her underwear and had the window open, the sun reflecting the reddening all the way to her shoulders.

"I, uh," Day turned his hand and tried to catch the blood as it started to trickle from his nose and Sakura looked at him with a giggle. She held her hand over his nose and pushed in just a little chakra, stopping the blood from leaking out instantly.

"Is the thought of being here with me like that too much for you?" She giggled and Day blushed, turning away.

"I'm so dedicated to the whole of the village people here rarely see me as just a person. No one shows any interest in me, especially like this. Before you came here, it had been years since I blushed." He tried to hide the embarrassment that was reflecting so easily all over his face.

She decided to end that.

She reached over and took his chin, tilting his face towards her and lightly brushed her lips against his. She looked up into his face, his eye unfocused, his bangs brushed against her shoulder. The feeling sent goose pimples up her arms and he looked down, running his hand up her shoulder. "You're cold."

"The room is cold." She smiled and he reached down, tossing the blanket back over her. He softly pushed on her shoulder, guiding her to the pillow and pulled the blanket up just over her chest and he leaned over her, his hair brushing so softly against her, the swell of her breasts, the spot at the side of her neck and she gasped, a blush crashing across her. He smiled and leaned down, looking into her eyes before leaning in further and kissing her softly.

It was a good two hours before they reached the office. Their hair was still wet from the shower, (round three) and they were nibbling on some of the sushi they'd bought on the way in. The secretary just stared for a moment before smiling.

"Sir, the cleanup is today. We're going to need you to pay attention."

"I'll pay attention." Day's eyes rolled. "I have half of the city already gathering outside of the office to help. I doubt it will take more than six hours to get the city back to where it was."

"You're expecting too much! Eight hours, minimum!" Sakura grinned and Day looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are you challenging me?" His tone was light and playful and Sakura nodded.

"I bet it takes at least eight hours!"

"I still say no more than six!"

"So what if it takes seven?" Sakura asked and Day grinned before turning to his secretary.

"If it takes between six and eight hours, Kaori, I'll give you my pay for the day!" He grinned and the man at the desk looked like this was his dream.

"You're not gonna sabotage me, are you?" Day looked up at Sakura who just shook her head.

"That's cheating. Besides, I kind of want you to win." She smiled and Day grinned.

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered. "I win, you stay at my house tonight."

"I win, you come back to the hotel with me." She grinned and Day nodded.

The day was filled with a massive clean up, everyone pitched in, not just getting the streets that were filled with litter, but also the insides of all of the shops that had been open. Sakura was surprised at how close the village was, everyone helping, no one leaving till things were complete. Sakura was nearly done with the fixing of one of the bar stools when someone rushed in with a child in their arms.

"Is the medic in here?" the young man yelled and Sakura turned, holding up her hand. He rushed over and laid her on the table and gasped for air. Sakura saw wounds all over the little girl's feet and frowned, looking at the older one.

"What's happened?"

"My sister, she was helping in the shop down the street when a few of the bottles fell. She walked through the glass. Her shoes were torn to bits and the glass got into her feet." The boy tried to catch his breath and Sakura looked over her feet.

Sakura handed the girl a small bottle she fished out of the bag on her hip and the girl obediently swallowed the liquid, handing back the empty bottle.

Sakura lifted the girl and took her out into the sunlight, laying her on the porch, laying the girl's feet on her leg as she started pulling out the glass.

"You look so young! You were helping with the cleanup?" Sakura asked and the girl, who's tears had now stopped nodded.

"Me and my brother always help. The city takes care of us, we should take care of it too." She smiled and Sakura almost got misty eyed.

"You're so responsible! What's your name?"

"Usukami Misa." The girl grinned, showing two missing teeth.

After a few more minutes the work was done, her feet were healed and Sakura stood, picking up the girl. "I should take you home and explain what happened to your parents. Where do you live?"

"We don't have parents." Her brother said, looking down. Sakura turned to him with wide eyes.

"You've been taking care of your little sister all by yourself?"

"She helps me with work. We're alright because Day helps us out with things. We were being beaten in the village we used to live in. We came here with him about four years ago. He told them he was our father to keep them from treating us badly, but once he took over as the city's leader last year he made a few new laws to protect us. Not that we needed it, though, after the way he brought this city together."

"He's only been doing this for a year?" Sakura asked and the boy nodded.

"The one to run the city before him was stealing from everyone. He was hurting the people who weren't giving him money." 'An extortionist?' Sakura thought.

"Day was the one to tell them that they didn't need to deal with him. That they could over throw him and then offered to take over taking care of the city in exchange for three things. A free house for him, a free apartment for us and free food for all of us." Sakura nodded.

He wasn't even getting paid for this. He was only getting food.

"The people here changed after he took over. We work less, but we get more out of it. If someone needs help, everyone gathers. If anyone needs something, we work together to get the money." Sakura nodded.

He was even a better man than she'd thought.

She offered to take the girl with her and drop her off at the end of the day, but her brother refused and took her home immediately.

"If anything happens, I'm in room three at the inn. You can come anytime." Sakura smiled softly at them and waved as he carried her down the street.

Day frowned from across the roadway, watching as Sakura waved at Mai and Kano as he carried her away.

He frowned and put down the table he'd been carrying and ran over.

"What happened?"

"She stepped into some broken glass. She's alright now, but she needs to stay off of her feet." Sakura smiled and looked over at him with bright eyes. "They told me what happened a year ago. You saved this village from an extortionist?"

"It was more like a small yakuza. I promised that after that, unless it was helping the village that I would never use violence again."

Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"You took down a small yakuza?"

"Yeah. I couldn't just watch what was happening. When I died before I realized how precious life was. I realized how wonderful a quiet, peaceful existence could be."

"How did you take them out?" She asked, curious at how someone with such a kind heart and soft smile could kill.

"I blew them up. Every single one of them. Even the bones burned when I was finished with them. They'd robbed, raped, killed whoever they wished. When the city went against them the city's leader would raise their taxes and would have anyone who didn't pay murdered as a sign of what would happen. This city didn't need that. No one here deserved the torment they brought." Days eye was turned to the dust slowly blowing down the street and Sakura realized this was really hard for him to talk about.

"It sounds like everyone here is on the verge of worshiping you. They all speak so highly of you, and are so thankful. Looks like I picked the right guy." She grinned and Day looked up at her with a surprised look.

"Are you saying that you're wanting more than just... like this morning? You actually have interest in someone you know is so dedicated to everyone? I could never just have one person in my heart."

"And that's part of the reason I like you. Your dedication, your loyalty to so many. Even the Hokage hasn't tried as hard as you." She looked him in the eye and he just stared back, processing her words. After a moment he smiled and reached down, rubbing his thumb against her cheek and reached down, giving her a soft kiss before just looking into her eyes for a moment.

After a second they heard a whistle and turned, seeing half of the village watching them, the children all looking totally grossed out, the adults looking like they were just happy that Day finally found someone.

Sakura looked up at him and grinned, a blush crossing her cheeks the same as his and he cleared his throat. "I have to get back to work. If you could, please go check up on them later? They live in the white house on the left, about four buildings over." Day pointed out and Sakura looked where he pointed, nodding.

"That shouldn't be a problem." They smiled at each other before parting ways.

"The clean up over here is done!" Someone called and Sakura turned, seeing the next guy over nod in agreement.

"Cleanup over here is done too!" She heard and within minutes everyone was grinning in the town square, looking around for anything else.

Day walked to the porch of the office and turned to everyone with a grin. "Thank you all for your dedication! We were able to throw a huge party, have a little fun and get everything cleaned up so quickly! I'm proud of you all!" He grinned and everyone hooted and hollered for a moment, showing their joy at their work.

"It took seven and a half hours." Sakura giggled and Day groaned.

"Matsu!" Day waved her up and she ran up. Sakura noticed she was a bit better built than she'd originally thought. She was wearing a long flowing dress, white with purple trim.

"Sir?"

"Kaori gets my pay for the day." He sighed and Matsu grinned.

"Oh please. As if I'd let you go hungry." She grinned and Sakura shook her head.

"Tomorrow, I'll cover for you." She smiled and Matsu looked at her for a moment before raising her eyebrow.

"Sakura-san, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Matsu took Sakura a few feet away and they whispered for a moment, causing Day to look at them with confusion before Sakura got all excited. They nodded and Matsu grinned, patting Sakura on the back. The only part that Day could hear before Matsu walked off was one single sentence.

"Welcome to the village."

Sakura took Day to the restaurant that night and before Day could order Sakura walked around the counter and took one of the aprons from Matsu who just smiled at her.

Sakura looked up with a wink and got to work with cooking.

Day just stared. Someone was cooking for him? Someone who didn't own a restaurant? He just watched, a sudden feeling of joy and pride welling in his chest.

It was a few minutes till Sakura laid out the first dish.

Day looked down at the plate. It looked amazing. Bits of chicken and bacon, noodles, peppers, sauce, citrus zest as a garnish. Day looked up at Sakura who was looking at him, almost holding her breath as she waited for him to take a bite.

He took his first bite and closed his eye, the taste was so perfectly balanced it was more of an experience than a meal.

"Oh my god. Why don't you own a restaurant?"

"The same reason you run the town. It's more rewarding to help people." She smiled and watched as he slowly took another bite before starting work on the second dish.

Day watched her and noticed that occasionally Matsu would pass her a sushi, some of which were ones that she didn't keep on the menu, like the shrimp tempura roll that Matsu handed her one piece at a time. He smiled at this, happy she was getting a chance to eat as well. He would have felt guilty as hell if she'd not eaten after making this for him.

The second dish was a wonderful ramen. The flavor was chicken, but there was something else that Day couldn't place. It was great, either way.

After that she handed him a plate with strawberry shortcake and she smiled as she put down another plate, finally getting the chance to join him.

Day just smiled at her, surprised at finding someone so wonderful. She seemed as dedicated as him.

He looked down and for a moment his smile faltered, a flicker not missed by Sakura.

"What's wrong?"

"You don't remember what I told you last night, do you? About who I am?"

"I know you told me, I know that I heard you, but I remember that I didn't know the name off the top of my head."

"Deidara." He murmured, dropping the chopsticks.

"Excuse me?" Sakura looked over, honestly not hearing the near whisper.

"Sakura, I was Deidara." He looked down, his eyes focused somewhere between here and hell. Sakura looked at him. She knew that name. She knew exactly who that was. She remembered him sitting on the body of Gaara, giving him a kick before he ran off to kill her friends.

"D-d-d-d-d-d-" She stammered, her eyes widening.

"I'd better go." He stood and walked down the street quickly, leaving Sakura to stare after.

"Oh hell." Sakura muttered and Matsu walked over, leaning down.

"We all know who he is, we just pretend not to know. He's realized what's happening and feels free around us with it, but to anyone else he's scared to death. You the most. I've never seen him like that."

"He tried to kill me. He tried his best to kill my friends. I never would have guessed. If he hadn't told me I never would have known..." She just stared and Matsu looked at her with a smile.

"So, does it really make a difference?" She asked leaning against the counter and Sakura turned to her with shock showing everywhere.

"Of course it does! It's Deidara! He's... He's so different from what he used to be! Now I know what he meant! He told me he realized how precious life was when he died. He really did die. He was... It's... And I probably just broke his heart. Please excuse me. Thank you for everything." Sakura tried to keep herself pleasant as she spoke, but ran off as quickly as she could.

Matsu smiled, noticing she went the same direction Day had gone, away from the inn.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Okay! That's it for this steamy and amusing chapter! See you all soon for another chapter!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	6. Chapter 6

Alright! Now it's in the open who Day is! (Not as if it wasn't obvious...) It's time to see what happens next! Yay at cutesy bad guys and the bad girl good guys in lemon mode!

Yeah, I'm going to try and fit the first REAL lemon into this chapter!

Woot! (Drool)

xXFallenXAngelXx- Thank you for the kind words! I hope you'll continue to read!

Dotwiper-I try! I don't like making people wait for chapters!

Anywho, on with the show!

Disclaimer- I wanna fuck you like an animal!

I wanna feel you from the inside!

I wanna fuck you like an animal!

My whole existence is flawed!

You get me closer to God!

Wait, what?

Chapter 6

"Day!" She yelled as she ran up the street, finally seeing his retreating back with his black coat still standing in the middle of the street. He didn't turn his head, he just stood there, she could tell his face was to the ground. His hair and coat lightly swayed in the breeze and Sakura was almost stricken silent at the look of him right there.

"Day! Please, listen to me!"

"How can you still call me that? I tried to kill you. I tried to kill them. I succeeded with the Kazekage. You shouldn't, I'm a monster. Don't ruin yourself with me." His tone was so quiet. Sakura just stood there, staring as Day started to walk again.

It was a moment before she was broken from the shock at his words and she ran forwards, grasping at the shoulders of his coat. She pressed her forehead against his back, between his shoulder blades and spoke just loudly enough that he could hear.

"You were right! Knowing who you are does make a difference! I can see how you treat the village! I can see how everyone here does their best to take care of you because you're so amazing! It makes such a huge difference because I know who you used to be! I know the person I was so happy I'd heard had died! I laughed and was grinning for a month when I heard you were dead!" She heard Day's wounded intake of breath, but it sounded like it might have been tears. "I was so happy! I came here and I met you! I saw the way this village was with you, as well as you were with the village! I can tell how kind and sweet you are right now! I know that someone like that doesn't just turn into you for no reason! You're happy like this! This is the way you're supposed to be! This is the person I've been blushing at and spending my waking time thinking about! It makes such a difference because I know you weren't always this person! You chose it yourself! It's not like you were raised into this, you chose this life, your dedication, your loyalty, it's yours alone! I don't care if you used to be that man! What's important is who you are now! You chose to be the man that I'm growing to love!"

Day turned to her, his eyes wide, his jaw open. "Love?"

Sakura just stared at the ground, her eyes wide, her hand over her mouth. "I can't believe I just said that..." She felt nauseous.

"You love me? You've only known me a few days..."

"I'm sorry. I'm new at this. You're only the third person I said that to. I fall in quick I guess." Sakura didn't look up at him, she just stood there, her head in the same place it was with her head on his back. "Thanks, though. I feel like a total idiot now."

"You feel like an idiot?" Day murmured, thinking she wasn't taking him seriously.

"Yes, and I'm off... Something's wrong." She stumbled back and Day watched her. She reached up and covered her mouth as she fell to the floor, vomited and passed out.

She opened her eyes and found herself in a room she'd never seen. She sat up and looked around. The walls were blue, clouds were painted in white fluffy patterns around the top half of the room. She sat up, her head spinning to the point that she was quickly sent back to the pillow beneath her.

"Sakura?" She heard and looked over, seeing Day nearly run into the room. "Oh my god! You woke up! How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"I'm... I'm dizzy... What happened?"

"I don't know. You threw up and passed out after saying you loved me. I was being skeptical and you found one hell of a way to make me not care."

Day sat down and looked at her, feeling her forehead for a moment before sighing. "You've had a fever for the last three days. It's finally broken. I'll go get you something to eat. It's no wonder you're dizzy."

"How long have I been out?" Sakura tried to sit again and had Day quickly place his hand on her back to help.

"Four days." He sighed and she looked up at him. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, he wasn't wearing his eye patch but he still had his bangs down, covering his eye. Sakura looked at him for a moment, almost happy at the turn of events when she realized something and started to panic.

"Oh hell! I need a needle and a piece of paper!" She tried to sit up only to have Day help her again.

"Why that?" He frowned and she sighed, suddenly hating her weaknesses.

"I need to report! If I don't send it out now, it may already be too late! If it is, I'll need to have you hide. You and anyone else who would be recognized by Konoha. I don't even know if they would be coming. What do I do?" She started to panic and Day reached out, clasping her shoulder.

"You need to relax and eat. I won't leave your side right now. What I'll do is find someone I can trust to keep an eye out for any movement. It won't be hard, and everyone has been saying that it's a good thing that I take this time off. I didn't even realize they were worried about me."

"That's what I meant out there. The village loves you. They need you. That's why I have to make sure if Konoha comes in I'm the first one they run into. I can tell them to go away and they'll listen."

"I'll have them radio. I need someone I can trust to keep an eye out though." Day frowned and Sakura looked at him curious.

"Why are you so worried about trust with this?" She watched as he turned to her with a slight smile and reached up to his hidden eye. He brought his hand down and opened it, showing the symbol that had been on his eye patch that one day.

"You didn't need an eye patch?"

"It's the easiest way to hide my scope. It can let you see farther away. I need someone I trust so I know it doesn't get sold."

She reached up and pulled back his bangs, seeing both of his eyes look at her. "You've seen me through both eyes this whole time."

"I have." He smiled and she returned the gesture.

"You lay here. You rest. I'll be back in a little bit with food, paper and a needle." Sakura nodded and sighed, thanking him before he walked from the room. She hated to think about admitting to him that such little movement, just that bit of talk had totally exhausted her and she fell instantly back to sleep.

She woke a bit later, Day stumbling into the room, tripping over his own feet. He handed her a plate of food that she could easily tell he'd made himself, a needle and a few sheets of paper.

Needless to say he yelled out in surprise when she took the needle and stabbed herself in the chest with it.

She yanked the needle from herself and got to work, immediately writing on the paper with her blood.

'Sensei and guys

Things are fine. This village is peaceful and I am actually hoping for an extended stay. The man running the village, Day, is very kind and caring about everyone here. He's being most helpful about anything that I need assistance with.

I am going to ask that you give me a slight raise, as the medical facilities here aren't well, and I really need access to better herbs. I'll have to occasionally go to the next village over for supplies. Due to this I may be late giving my reports occasionally. Please only respond if I'm missing over two weeks.

As to my mission; no one here meets the criteria for either. That is all.

Please remind Naruto to eat and tell him I miss him, but not to worry. I'm very happy here. I hope he's happy as well.

I'll report again within two weeks.

Sakura"

Day looked over the paper and frowned. "You're pretty close to Naruto, hn?

"Are you jealous?" Sakura smiled at him and turned back to the paper. "Naruto, Sasuke and I were team mates when we were children. Sasuke defected and Naruto was the only one who's always been by my side."

"Do you have feelings for him?" Day looked at her and she could tell he was already hurt.

"I do. I love him to death. I can never be in love with him, though." She sighed and he looked at her, his blue eyes seemed to shine through her, finding every hint of truth or lie.

"Why is that?" Day's voice was so soft and Sakura looked up, her smile reaching out to him.

"It's Naruto. He's been in love with me since we were six. We lost my first love together. Due to that I can never fall in love with Naruto. I won't be able to keep from comparing him to Sasuke."

"Sasuke. I remember him." Day gave a tight lipped smile and Sakura looked up at him.

"Wasn't Sasuke the one who killed you all that time ago?" Sakura asked, not meaning to offend. Day was able to find her tone easily and realized quickly she was just being curious.

"He was. All those burns you healed up were caused when I tried to kill myself and take him with me." Day frowned and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Suicide?" She was shocked. Either as the town's savior or as the cocky, explosive Akatsuki member, Sakura couldn't imagine him trying to kill himself.

"I was a very different person then. I was never really happy with myself. We weren't even supposed to go after him, but I was willing to die to try. Let's not talk about this. I need to send off that letter, you need to eat."

"Well, you're half right." Sakura smiled and took the note, holding it to her chest and breathed in. She laid the paper down and breathed in again, channeling her chakra to the blood.

"Nipou, Chouju, Giga." The words on the paper turned quickly over to a hummingbird. It was something that could get there within a few hours, and that's what Sakura was needing. It took off at top speed as Sakura looked down at the plate.

She looked at her hands and Day looked at her with a frown.

"You used up all of your strength, didn't you?"

"It was already gone." Her voice was nearly a whisper and the weight of it worried Day.

"I'll feed you." He lifted the plate and Sakura looked at him.

"I know you still worry about whether you should trust me. I'm a spy, you're someone we used to watch out for. You don't need to take such good care of me, especially if it's going to make you worry more."

"And that answer is the reason I know I'd regret if I left you alone and anything happened. You spoke in your dreams. You called out for me. When I came to you, you held onto me so tight, you lit up. You were so happy. I couldn't forgive myself. I'll take care of you no matter what." Day looked her in the eye, both of his eyes shining like stars.

Sakura smiled at him brightly and grinned. She looked at him before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the pillow again, being caught by Day. He sighed and laid her down, looking her over.

He sighed and turned to the open window. He knew why she chose that animal.

She really was doing her best.

After finding out who she was, he'll admit that he was worried.

He was so happy to find out it was so needless.

It was a few hours later that Sakura woke again, seeing Day in the chair beside her, asleep with his head down. She looked at him with a smile and stood, picking him up and laid him in the bed. She pulled off his pants and shirt and covered him with the blanket, laying down beside him and drifted easily back to sleep hearing the slight intake of his breath.

She woke the next morning to a yelp and jumped up, looking around with foggy eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't know! Sorry for walking in on you!" She heard a voice at the door and looked down at the still sleeping Day.

She shook him awake softly and his eyes turned to her, confused for a moment before he smiled and lifted his hand to her cheek. "Sakura, good morning. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Someone's at the door for you."

"Oh!" Day jumped up and looked down confused before nearly jumping into his pants. "Report?"

"No one is here yet. We still have Kano keeping an eye out. Does this mean we're in the clear?"

"I think. I'll have to make sure the horizon is watched for the rest of the day to make sure. Please have Matsu replace him." Day sighed with relief.

Sakura looked at him and he turned to her with a frown.

"I'm taking you to the kitchen." She would have protested if he didn't lift her and carry her out. She held onto his neck til he sat her in one of the chairs at the table. He went to work quickly cooking.

She watched as he sliced and fried things, eventually laying a plate before her.

"Sorry it's not as good as your cooking." He shrugged and Sakura shook her head, reaching for her chopsticks.

"Itadekimasu." She took a bite and realized it wasn't bad. He was actually a decent cook.

"You're not bad at that." She took another bite, realizing how hungry she was.

After she ate she sat back, her eyelids barely staying open and Day laughed. This was just enough to shake her out of the impending food coma and she looked at him, her eyes barely open. "What's so funny?"

"You look cute when you're about to pass out."

"Are you going to take advantage of me like this?" She half chuckled and Day shook his head, smiling softly around a bite he was taking.

"No. Besides, it's not taking advantage if you don't mind it." Sakura looked at him seriously for a moment before laughing.

After that she wasn't able to keep her eyes open any farther.

She woke at some point in time. The sun was up, Day wasn't there. She dragged herself from the bed and stretched.

She'd been in bed for around five days. She really needed a shower and clean cloths.

She went to her hotel room and stripped down, stepping into the shower.

She changed and went down to the office, seeing Kaori staring at the desk before him. "Day not in yet?"

"I heard he was at his house taking care of you." Kaori looked at her confused. Sakura grinned and pulled up a chair, sitting at the other end of the room.

"Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? What do you think of this village?"

"It's quiet. It's peaceful. I've lived here my whole life and I know that it's better here than anywhere else I could go." Sakura nodded.

"I know that a year ago the village wasn't like this."

"It was a nightmare." Kaori smiled sadly. "My wife was killed by the yakuza. I was ready to die until Day took over. He showed his strength and they all died. I felt avenged. He saved the mental states of so many of us here. And now he's just there." Kaori stared blankly before him as Sakura stared. "We'd follow him to the end of the earth. You hurt him and we kill you."

"I'd never do that to him." Sakura smiled with a dreamy look in her eye and Kaori stared.

"You're telling the truth, aren't you? You love him."

"Don't tell him. I told him I was falling for him, I want to be able to say it for the first time to him myself." Sakura grinned and Kaori nodded, smiling.

"It's about time he thinks about something other than the village."

"You're wrong." Sakura looked up with a smile that she felt reached her whole being. "This village will always take priority to him. He made it his mission in life to make sure the whole village prospers. I will never be the first one he thinks about. I just hope that someday I can be the second." She looked away, fighting the blush that was threatening her.

"Welcome to the village." Kaori grinned, turning to the window, seeing a panicking Day rush in.

"Where's-" He turned to the movement in the other corner of the room and sighed, visibly relaxing.

"You were too late. The army is on it's way."

Sakura jumped up, eyes wide. "What? Where!" She ran out the door, Day beside her.

She looked over the house she was currently standing on top of and saw the slight movement. It was just a leaf, but she knew what was up.

She stood and looked around, waving them forwards. She could sense Naruto at the front.

"Naruto! Get your ass over here!" She yelled, waving Day away and out of view.

Unfortunately he didn't see the movement.

Naruto was there in a second.

"What the hell happened to you? We got a note that you're happy here and want an extended stay? That you hope I'm happy too? And when in the hell did you become able to use Sai's jutsus?"

Sakura wanted to yell at him. She wanted to scream and tell him to go home but instead she reached out and grabbed him, dragging him into a hug.

"I missed you."

Naruto hugged her back, surprised at the movement. "Sakura, are you alright?"

"I'm fine! That's why I sent you that note saying so!"

Day slid from the rooftop, praying he hadn't been seen.

"Naruto, have you been taking care of yourself?" She asked, fighting the tears that were in her eyes.

"I have. Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked and caught her as she started to fall.

"I haven't recovered yet. I fell ill the other day. That's part of the reason I said to wait two weeks. I was sick for four days. When I woke up Day was scared to death."

"Is that the guy who just hid himself?" Naruto asked, his tone cold and Sakura nodded.

"Naruto, please just go home. Tell Tsunade that everything is alright and I'll write again soon. I don't feel so well." She felt her stomach turn and Naruto looked at her with wide eyes.

"Sakura? What's happened to you?"

"I don't know. I'm sick. You're probably infected with the illness I just cleansed which means you'll need inoculated before you leave. Come to the hotel so I can make you a potion." She started to try and walk and Naruto grabbed her arm.

"I'll carry you." He picked her up and she felt her head spin as he carried her.

It was only a few minutes till she had the potion done and gave him the shot.

"Sakura, why did the leader of the village hide from me?"

"Because he hates outsiders. He's a bit of a recluse. That's why he's the leader of the village. This village is his whole life." Sakura sighed as she sat on the bed, feeling her stomach turn again.

"I really don't feel well." She frowned and Naruto sat behind her, giving her a prop.

"I know him. I felt that chakra before."

"Yeah, you have, and he's safe. He'll never hurt you if you don't hurt him." Sakura sighed.

"Day is a wonderful man. He's kind and caring. He cried and put himself into my debt when I saved a child that wasn't even his. He gave up having a family to get rid of the yakuza that was tormenting this village a year ago. He brought a sense of community to a village that was in despair."

Naruto watched her as she spoke, knowing where this was going. "You're falling for him, aren't you?"

"I already have. You have no idea of how great he is, what he can do when he knows this village is in trouble. He's almost always by my side. He was watching me to make sure I wasn't going to damage to all the work he's done here." Naruto nodded, watching her.

"It's not another Eriko, is it?"

"No, this time it's not. He told me that I would never be the first one in his heart. This village is his life. He fought so hard to find himself! All he wants is peace! All he wants is left alone!" Sakura started yelling, standing. "Naruto, go home! Go now! Tell Tsunade I'm fine and get on with your life! I'm not coming back! As much as this village is his life, it's growing on me! It's becoming mine! I'm needed here! They need me! They don't need the army rushing in!"

Naruto watched her, his eyes widening before narrowing. "What are you hiding?"

Sakura turned to him, her cheeks red, her anger boiling. "Why do I have to be hiding something? Can't I just be happy?" Her tone this time brought horror to Naruto's face.

"You're not happy in Konoha?"

"I clung to you. I felt pathetic every day. I felt like I could never do anything right. I'd resigned myself to a life of celibacy, to never being anything to anyone except you. I want you to be happy, but I want to be happy too. I found what I need here. A village of people who need me. Who smile and wave when I walk by. I found everything I was looking for." She smiled and sat back down, leaving Naruto staring.

"You've really changed in the last two weeks."

"I know, and I'm happy about it. I can stand up for what I believe here. I can tell people what I think and they care. I don't feel like I have to just sit back and let other people's opinions rule my life. I can do or be whatever I want and everyone here just accepts me. Before you came in here I was sitting in the central office talking with the secretary about the history of the village. His wife was killed. It hurt him to talk about, but he told me. He let me in without thinking about it. It wasn't even an issue. Do you know how great it feels to have people just trust you?"

She turned to Naruto and he shook his head with a sad smile. "I don't. I had to earn all the trust anyone has in me."

"I trust you. That's why it's so important that you leave here. I need you to trust me now." Naruto just looked at her, trying to decide what to do.

"You need me to leave. You need me to just go away and not come back to the woman I love."

"I'll never be able to love you. I always knew it, but I didn't really know why til I started talking about it with Day. I'll never be able to love you because you were so close to Sasuke. You were always there beside him. Every step he took you took as well. I was always left behind, seeing your backs. This time it's my turn to move forwards. It's my turn to stand in front. I need to work for my own worth, not just follow and hide in your shadows. No matter what, I'll never be able to stop comparing you to him, and now I can't stop comparing you to Day. As much as you've moved forwards, he's worked. He didn't get some special power. He didn't train to gain strength. He had to work on his mind, on his heart to make himself such a great person that everyone loved him. His strength makes us look so weak, and I want that strength. I want to be that good a person."

Naruto watched the determination in her eyes. He heard her words. He watched as she stood and clutched her hands to her chest, tears in her eyes.

"I don't just love him, I love this village. I love these people. I love how if anything happens it's not just the people nearby who help, the whole village comes to help. Every single person here is part of a family, and I want to be part of it. To feel like I'm important to everyone. Please, Naruto, don't take this away from me. Just go home."

Naruto stood and nodded.

"Fine, I'll go."

Sakura looked at him, a beaming smile on her face.

"Thank you. I'll never forget you."

"This is it, isn't it? You're not coming home."

"I'm going to send in my transfer request in the morning." She smiled and Naruto nodded.

The tears in his eyes weren't from joy. The pain in his heart blinded him to everything.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to be the one to make you happy."

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to just be happy, but I am now. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for understanding."

Naruto nodded and grasped her tightly.

He cried on her shoulder before turning and running from the room.

Sakura watched him leave, the tears on the floor and she couldn't keep the smile on her face anymore.

She sat on her bed, covering her hands with her eyes and did her best to keep the sobs from escaping her lips til he was gone from the village. If he heard them he'd just run back.

It was a good three minutes later that Day walked in, his eyes wide on her.

"Sakura, I'm sorry."

She just shook her head, unable to speak through the racking sobs.

"You really did love him." Day sat beside her and she turned, grasping despirately to his coat, crying her eyes out.

"He's the last of us now. I can't believe I did that to him. I left him to carry on our burden." She cried and Day patted her back.

"I heard what you told him. I know that everything you said was the truth. I can't believe you're so quickly choosing us over the bond between you." She just cried, unable to respond anymore.

She woke the next morning and found herself still gripping Day's shoulders. She looked up to see his eyes closed, the torment on his face was excruciating.

She'd made up her mind though.

She stood and walked through the room, getting the needle and the paper.

'Transfer request'

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Alright! So that's it for this chapter!

That ending was really hard to write! It hurt to break Naruto's heart like that, but it had to be done.

Anyways, see you next chapter!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry I didn't post this morning or yesterday! Was in the ER yesterday, migraines, yay...

And this morning my interweb wasn't working! It was a nightmare! I'm just happy it's back! Anyway...

Dotwiper- lol you say that and then I go and do this! (Hangs head in shame) Forgive me!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- Left 4 dead 2 is fun!

Chapter 7

Sakura was groggy. She felt like hell. Her eyes hurt from all the crying. She didn't think it would be that hard to write the transfer request, but it was.

She laid down, Day's steady breathing calming her. She felt him stir and looked up at him, watching as his eyes focused on her.

"Are you alright?"

"No." She whispered and he frowned, reaching his hand to her cheek and kissing the tear stains. She closed her eyes, wrapping herself in the contact. "I just gave up my home. I sent the transfer request. I just gave up everything for a man that already admitted I would never be first in his heart. I don't even know why this feels so bad. I should be happy. This village is everything I ever wanted. Why does it hurt so much?"

"Because it scares you. The fear you feel now is the pain I felt when I realized my whole life was going to change too. You know that it's what you want, but it still hurts. Everyone you know, everything you remember, keep it in your heart and remember it all. Konoha isn't gone, it's just less one person. Remember that. It may not help much, but every bit is needed."

Sakura nodded, resting her head on his chest. "That is why I want to be here. Knowing that it's what I want, knowing that this place is here, that I'm needed."

"Sakura, I'm sorry I said that to you." She looked up and he looked at her with a sadness she didn't know. "I never meant to hurt you when I said you would never be the first one in my heart. I just wanted you to keep in mind my dedication."

"I know." She said and closed her eyes again.

"There's something wrong with me."

"No there's not." Day's tone was almost angry and Sakura sat up.

"There is." She bit out as she stood, running to the bathroom. Day was there in a second, patting her back as she threw up.

"Have you been nauseous ever since you passed out?" He asked and Sakura shook her head.

"It's occasional."

"You probably need to eat." She nodded and Day took off running, returning quickly with a carry out box of noodles.

Sakura ate and noticed it did help a lot.

She leaned back on the bed and frowned. "I never was this nauseous before. I'm worried."

"Don't worry about it right now. You need to recover from your last problem. You can deal with your nausea when you're feeling better." She watched Day, realizing quickly that he was worried as well, but was trying to keep her calm. She smiled at the thought and leaned back.

"I should be getting a response in a few days. After that I should be better." She sat up and sighed.

"You want to know what always makes me feel better?" Day looked at her confused til she smiled. "Work. I'm going to start giving check ups. It's better for everyone's health if they don't get sick, not just come to me when it's too late." Day smiled at her, knowing she was completely honest, she wanted to be a part of this village.

By the end of the day she'd been through four houses, diagnosed two minor possible health issues and was happy that she was able to do something.

By the end of the week everyone in the village had thoroughly been examined and all health issues had been avoided and discussed to keep everyone healthy.

She sat on the end of the bed holding the envelope the ninja courier had handed her a few minutes ago.

She felt tears in her eyes, her hands shook and she sighed, holding her breath as she opened the envelope.

'Sakura, I never would have said yes to this if Naruto hadn't come back in tears telling me what you said. If you're truly happy there, then it's fine. I won't give you a permanent transfer though. I'll allow a temporary stay, on permanent extension. You still get your pay and if you ever want to come home, we'll be here.

With the state he was in, though, I know not to hold my breath.

I'm coming next week. I want to meet Day and see what he's doing with this village that's made you so attached.

Naruto has asked not to go. I'll be bringing one guard. Please prepare accommodations.

I'll see you soon.

Tsunade'

Sakura's eyes widened as she read the note.

Oh, hell.

Day read the letter with a frown. "I can prepare something that day to keep her distracted. I never met her, so there's a chance that she won't know who I am."

"She's bringing a guard and she doesn't say who it was. If it's someone who wasn't in that fight you should be fine. Chances are, that'll be the situation."

"The only ones who really saw me were Kakashi, Naruto, Guy and Neji. Chances are it will be someone else."

"Even if it is them there's a chance they won't recognize you. I didn't." Sakura smiled and Day looked at her with a grin.

"Let's hope."

The next few days were them coming up with the plans to have a welcome party for the Hokage.

The citizens who left Konoha were going to stay home all day. Sakura prepared two inoculations for the visitors, not knowing if the illness was still in the air.

She really wished that she'd been able to do tests on them.

She sat on the hotel, watching. The road before her was surrounded in trees, a light breeze causing them to sway ever so lightly. Sakura grinned as she saw her teacher's head come into view.

"Tsunade-sensei!" She grinned as she stood, waving.

She jumped down and ran over, giving her a hug. "Was the travel hard on you? Do you want to go to the inn and rest?"

"No, I'll be fine, as soon as that ass gets himself out of that tree." Tsunade frowned as she turned, looking into the tree behind her.

"Sakura!" She watched as Kakashi jumped down, looking at her with a smile.

"Kakashi-sensei..." She stared at him with open eyes. 'Oh, fuck.'

"Happy you're so glad to see me." He frowned and Sakura smiled, waving it off.

"It's just odd to see you. It's been so long." She ran forwards and gave him a hug.

"How have you been?" She pushed him out at arms length, looking him over.

"Been pretty good. If I would have known you were going to leave us I would have come by more."

"You lie." She smiled. "You were always on those extended missions. You couldn't have visited more if you'd wanted to." She giggled and he nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you more." His eye held a remorse she understood completely.

"It's fine. Come! We'll check you in at the inn before I take you to meet Day. He's really anxious to meet you." She frowned, looking towards the town's office.

"Naruto said he was unhappy about outsiders. I'm glad he's still seeing us." Tsunade chimed, stretching her legs.

They were checked into the inn and Sakura went to the office, Tsunade and Kakashi in tow.

"Kaori, can you tell Day that the visitors are here?" She asked sweetly and Kaori nodded, standing and looking over them.

"I'll be right back, Sakura-san." He walked to the back office and Sakura turned to see them. Kakashi was looking really bored while Tsunade was more wondering what was going on. The village had so few people in it. She'd only seen around three people on the street.

Day came in with his hair pulled back into a braid, his eyes both visible. He'd pulled his bangs back just in case this was the situation.

"Hokage-sama." Day bowed and turned to Kakashi.

He kept his composure completely, but did one thing that worried Sakura.

"Kakashi-san." He bowed at the other ninja who stared at him, his eye wide.

"Sakura, I need to talk to you."

"We prepared a party to welcome you-"

"NOW! Tsunade-sama, come with us!"

Sakura looked at Day, their eyes wide.

She followed, making sure to keep close to the door.

Kakashi grabbed her by the shoulder and started to drag her from the office. "We need to leave now. This is dangerous." Kakashi yanked down his mask and was looking around through both eyes.

"Kakashi, let me go!" Sakura broke his grip on her and stumbled back. "I'm not leaving!"

"You don't recognize him! Sakura, that's-"

"Deidara." Sakura finished his sentence and Kakashi stared at her.

"You knew? You knew and you still let Tsunade come out here?"

"It's not dangerous! You should know that I'd never get Tsunade-sensei into a dangerous situation! Have some faith in me!" She growled and Kakashi stared at her. "This is what I was telling Naruto about! No one in Konoha feels that they should trust me! That's why I need to stay here! I trust Day, he trusts me! I trust him with my life! How many people do you think I've EVER trusted my life to?"

"Why do you keep calling him that? He tried to kill us! Not just Naruto and me, You too! He tried to kill us all!"

"I knew that! I already thought about it! I was terrified! I was scared out of my wits for about two seconds! Then I looked around! This place is one giant reality check! See?" Sakura held out her hand at the 'Welcome Hokage' banner that hung up on the inn's front. "There are no traps, no jutsus, just a bunch of people who want a peaceful place to live, and that's EXACTLY what he gave them! He turned this village from a yakuza controlled village that was living in fear to a place that was able to come together and have everyone help out to plan a party for your ungrateful asses!" Sakura yelled, now almost in a motherly fashion. Tsunade just stood there and stared at her. She was taking everything she was saying to heart.

Kakashi on the other hand, wasn't buying it.

"He's brainwashed you! He's this great guy? He's so great? He's did great things? Like when he killed Gaara? Like when he tried to kill Sasuke?"

"That's what changed him! He died at Sasuke's hands! He wasn't just killed off though, he tried to commit suicide! Did your logs tell you that? That he was ready to kill himself to FAIL his mission?" She screamed now, her face red with fury. "He realized that he was unhappy with his life! He realized he needed something else and he found it here! He lives to serve the people in this village that all look up to him! What do you live for?" She growled, now looking only at Kakashi.

"If he lives only to protect this village, then he'll sacrifice himself now." Kakashi growled back and walked back into the office.

"Come out here." He called to Day, who nodded and followed obediently.

Kaori was on his heels, watching the whole thing play out.

Day stood on the steps of the office and Kakashi frowned, looking at him.

"Either you die or I personally burn the village down. I will personally make sure there are no survivors, and you know I can do it." Kakashi watched him as he looked around scared for a moment before looking over at Kaori who was ready to fight.

"Fine. You don't hurt anyone and leave immediately afterwards, and do with me as you wish." His voice was soft as he lowered his head, stepping to the dirt roadway and fell to his hands and knees. "Promise me that you'll leave this village alone."

Kakashi stared at him. When he knew the village would fight back he was expecting him to fight, not to surrender. Sakura looked at Day with terror before looking at Kakashi. She stepped away from her old sensei and walked to Day's side, going to her knees as well. "Before you kill him, kill me. Without him, this village will die. Without this village my life means nothing. If you're going to kill him, kill me first." She held her head down.

"You don't mean that." Tsunade chuckled, fear and shock sounding so strong in her throat Sakura was surprised she could speak.

"I do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have said it. If you're going to kill him, kill-"

She felt her head snap to the side before she hit the dirt with her hip. She looked up to see Day staring down at her, his hand raised from the slap and for the first time ever his eyes on her were furious. "Don't you dare throw your life away for me. If I die, the village remains safe. They'll still need a medic. If you die, it does nothing. Don't think you're going to stop him if he's determined to kill me. You need to live on. I don't." His voice shook with anger and Sakura stared at him, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"I can't just sit there and watch this." She tried to reason with him, but was even more horrified to hear his response.

"Then go to your room. Don't stay here." Sakura looked at him, for the first time seeing the true depth of his determination.

She stumbled to her feet, backing a few feet away before falling to her knees again. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes wouldn't focus. She could feel her heart beating through her entire body. Her hands raised to her mouth, trying to keep down the pressure in her throat. She thought she was going to scream as Kakashi turned to him, but instead fell to her forehead, throwing up so hard she worried she'd puked out her vocal chords.

Day couldn't sit by and watch this and ran over. "Sakura! Damn, not now! Calm down! Kaori, get her something to eat!" Kaori nodded, shocked at the scene before him and ran off to the side.

Kakashi watched him, thinking 'this is it! He's going for reinforcements!'

Kaori ran back quickly with an inari and watched as Day rolled her to her side. "Sakura, you need to eat."

"I can't! I can't just sit back and eat!" She threw up again, this time seeing the red tinge of blood.

"DAMMIT! SAKURA, EAT THE FOOD!" His tone was more panicked than angry and Sakura tried to sit up, dizziness trying to pull her back to the ground.

She took the inari from his hand and took a bite. Day visibly calmed at the action and sighed, nodding.

"Go back to the hotel. Either way, you being so stressed out that you pass out again won't do any good. Go lay down. Once this is done, promise me you'll serve Kaori well."

Sakura stared at him, then turned her eyes to Kakashi.

She stood and walked towards the door of the inn, making sure to step as close to Kakashi as possible.

"If any harm comes to him I'll never forgive you. Either of you. Either way, I quit. I'll no longer be a ninja that treats the peaceful people in the community in such a manner." With that she walked away, headed into the inn.

She looked out her window but was unable to see anything through the banner they'd put up.

She sat on the bed, the inari forgotten on the table by the window and she just sat there, listening.

She couldn't hear anything. Did Kakashi kill him the instant she'd left? Was he already dead?

She was back in the bathroom seconds later.

Kakashi found her on the floor of the room, passed out.

She heard him yell for Tsunade, and did her best to fight his grasp on her shoulders. She pushed him away and fell back to the cold tile floor.

She felt a warmth in her throat that spread to her stomach, the nausea that she couldn't shake rearing it's head once again. She threw up on the floor before her stomach settled.

"Sakura, what's wrong with you?" She heard and opened her eyes, seeing Day standing in the doorway, his hands on his mouth, shock filling his eyes.

"It's probably stress. I've gone through a lot of it in the last two weeks." She murmured before her head realized what was happening.

"Day!" She jumped up, dizziness sending her crashing to her knees and she grabbed his leg. He bent down and grabbed her, lifting her and laying her on the bed. He frowned and held his breath, tearing her clothing from her.

He covered her from the waist down with the blanket and headed to the bathroom, returning with a lightly soapy wash cloth.

He slowly and carefully cleaned her up and covered her with the blanket. She just looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Please! Day, please don't die."

"Right now I have very little choice in the matter. I warned you at the beginning that you would never be the first one in my heart. This is what I meant. This village comes before you. I'm sorry."

He bent down and lightly kissed her. She felt a tear hit her cheek and opened her eyes, seeing his back as he left the room.

Tsunade sat in the chair off to the side as Kakashi followed Day from the room.

"He's going to kill him. Deidara wanted to say goodbye to you."

Sakura clenched her eyes. The blood pounding in her ears stopped any other sound come through till she started sobbing.

"You can't do this to us! He fought so hard to make the village peaceful and you came in in just one day and destroyed it all! Everything he's done! All the work he's done! He fought so hard and you just throw it away!" She sobbed and looked over at the older woman.

"You can stop him, but you're not moving. You have the ability to help over a hundred people with one word, but you're too much of a coward. Get out of my room." Sakura sobbed and Tsunade stood, leaving the room.

Kakashi came back a few minutes later and Sakura watched the doorway behind him.

Day didn't come back.

She just watched, holding the blanket to her chest so tightly she could feel each joint pop from the pressure, but still it was the same.

The hallway was empty.

She looked over at Kakashi and he frowned at her.

"In a few days you'll realize how stupid this whole thing is and come home."

"I'll never return. I promise you that I'd rather die than return. I make the promise Day asked me before he died. I'll serve Kaori well. Go away. You and Tsunade, leave me and this village alone. Go and don't turn back. If I ever see you again I'll make sure you suffer the same pain he did. I hate that he wanted this. I can't even avenge him!" her voice broke with a strangled sob and she lifted the blanket to her eyes.

Kakashi just stared at her. "You were in love with him."

"I still am." She yelled, jumping up and throwing something at Kakashi's head. He frowned and brushed the remnants from the inari from his face.

"Go away! GO AWAY!" She screamed and Kakashi nodded, turned and walked away.

"Goodbye, Sakura. Happy birthday." He murmured as he walked away.

Sakura stared at the door, too furious to think.

It was only a second til Sakura was back in the bathroom.

She woke on the floor and her memory sent her into a screaming fit.

He was dead! He was dead and there was nothing she could do!

She jumped up, determined to find him.

It would cause her sacrifice, but she could bring him back. She HAD to bring him back!

Day was wrong! She wasn't necessary to this village! They lived for a year without her. They wouldn't be the village she grew to love if they didn't have him.

She couldn't bear it.

She jumped up and wiped off her mouth, threw on some clothing and ran to the door.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Hey all! Let me know what you think! Reviews are happily accepted! Let me know what you think!

I actually have a request for my next fanfiction! When I finish this I'll be working on a Bleach fic with someone and Byakuya! (Don't know who the someone will be yet... O_O)

Anyhow, hope you enjoyed! See you next chapter!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	8. Chapter 8

Alright all! It's time for another fun loving, happy and cheerful chapter! As you'll remember in the last happy chapter, Sakura was ready to sacrifice her life to save Day and failed miserably! She made up her mind to sacrifice herself to bring him back!

Yay!

I'll get right into the story now!

Disclaimer- I'm on lots of pain meds!

Chapter 8

Sakura reached the office door with a determined gleam in her eye. She looked around, not finding Kaori anywhere. "Kaori? Kaori! Where are you?" She looked around and gritted her teeth, punching the table when he wasn't there. She wandered out to the street and looked down at where he'd probably died.

The puddle of blood was small, but she knew chidori burned, and would seal wounds. She choked, her hands over her mouth, unable to tear her eyes away from the brown red puddle before her. She could barely even see it after a few seconds through the tears.

She had to find him!

She jumped up and looked around, seeing a few people on the street around her staring at her with shock evident on their faces.

"Does anyone know where he is?" She stood, staggering slightly.

Matsu ran over and grabbed her before she fell. "What happened?"

Sakura explained to the five or so people what had happened and heard a scream as well as tears n everyone's eyes.

"I can bring him back, but I need to find him." Matsu stared at her with wide eyes.

"You can bring him back? If he's dead, how can you bring him back?"

"I'll give him my life." Sakura frowned. "You have lived this long without a medic, but you need him. I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"You'll have to." Kaori frowned from behind her as she jumped up and turned to him with wide eyes.

"He's already gone. There's nothing you can do. He asked that you don't look for him. Kakashi was ready to wipe out your memory til Day came up with this idea. Don't look for him. You'll find your purpose here with us. The Hokage granted your request. You've been transferred here unless you change your mind."

"I promised Day I'd serve you well. If I can't bring him back, I'll follow that promise." Sakura clenched her eyes, pain shooting throughout her body. Her brain seemed to hide and she just sat there, staring at the puddle on the ground.

"Can I at least have his scope?" She looked up at Kaori who smiled and nodded.

"He asked that you have it. He said he trusted you most with it. He also requested that you take the next while off and relax. It's a paid vacation. Since you're no longer a Konoha ninja, you're on our payroll. Day wasn't getting paid technically, but he didn't know we were paying for him the whole time. The first thing he fixed was the city's finances. We're all rich. We have four ninja that are always gone on missions from the city's leader who send back the money they earn from the missions."

\

"Bring them back. We all need to have a ceremony. Even if his body's gone, we all need to gather for his funeral."

Sakura stared blankly at the ground, her words quickly turning over till they were only in her head.

Tears never stopped flowing down her cheeks and Matsu frowned. "Sakura, please come with me."

Sakura stood and stumbled behind the woman who quickly frowned and grasped her around the shoulders.

"Everyone, please clean up the grounds and inform the rest of the village as to what's happened. Sakura needs to hear a few things." Matsu looked at them angrily and none of them contested.

Sakura turned back to the blood on the floor and felt her head spin and her heart pound.

Day was dead. This was the last time she'd see this much of him.

She wouldn't see his playful smile again, or the brilliant blue of his eyes.

She fell to her knees again and again threw up what was in her stomach before passing out.

She woke a few hours later in her bed, Matsu standing before the window.

Sakura noticed an odd feeling in her stomach and sat up, reaching down, pulling down her top.

"Matsu, why were you checking my stomach?"

"You're a Konoha ninja. You don't have a weak heart." Matsu turned to her, eyes dark, a grim expression on her face. "But, for some reason, you do. Lowered constitution, you get nauseous if you get stressed out or hungry. Have you been more emotional than you normally are? Before this happened?"

She thought back to the way she was with Naruto and nodded.

"I was feeling your stomach to check for the probable explanation. Sakura, you're late, aren't you?"

Sakura was ready to blow her off. She thought back to it and realized she was supposed to have started by now. It was only one day, but she was late.

She tried to think of the last time she was late and frowned.

"It's only one day."

"You have a second chakra signature." Matsu turned back to the window, watching as people in the village streets ran forwards, crying and hugging each other. It broke her heart to watch, but she couldn't pull her eyes away. "There's no other thoughts, Sakura. It's only about a week along, but you're pregnant."

"I'm... I can't be. I can't be!" She sobbed and Matsu ran over, grabbing Sakura and laying her on her shoulder.

She was surprised when Sakura jumped up and grabbed her bag, running to the bathroom.

"Sakura?"

"I'm a med nin! How could I have missed something like this? I need to check! I need to make sure!"

It was about four minutes later that Matsu heard the strangled scream and ran in, grasping Sakura's shoulders as she screamed, looking into the blue of the vial on the table.

Matsu knew this horror. She'd been here once herself.

She hugged her, doing her best to keep her still more than anything. "In the four hears he's been here he's never shown interest in anyone like this. This child is the part of himself he left behind. Make sure to raise it to be the happy Day we knew, not Deidera. If you stay like this forever, your child will turn into that monster."

"If it takes down Konoha, I don't care right now."

Matsu frowned and nodded.

"I understand, but trust me, losing a child due to your pain, it only makes it worse." Sakura turned to her, angry, furious at speaking like this, like she knew this feeling, but stilled instantly at the look in the older woman's eyes.

"You do understand, don't you?"

"Eight years ago I fell in love with a ninja from Sunagakure. We were only together briefly when I found out I was pregnant. He left for his mission and never came back. I had to fight to find out what happened, but found out when his death was celebrated. I hated Suna for allowing this to happen, and celebrating his death. I hated Konoha for being the ones to kill him. I was so angry and was ready to track down and kill the girl I'd heard had killed him. When I laid my eyes on her, though, I couldn't do it. She was just a child."

I raised my son to fight. I trained him specifically to get the vengeance against Suna for his father. I didn't realize how horrible that life was, or how badly he just wanted to get it over. I planned for him to try and get vengeance when he was twenty, twenty five maybe. At four years old, he ran into town, killed three of the guards and ran into the office. He ran at the Kazekage, a grown man and was killed instantly. The Kazekage never mentioned that he'd killed that child. He killed my child. That's why I knew I could only blame myself for wasting the one gift that he'd left me. That young boy, his bright red hair, his emerald eyes, He was always so cold and made himself so alone. It wasn't his fathers fault, it wasn't the Kazekage's fault, it was mine."

"That's why I'm telling you this. I don't want you to see that child dead and realize that you allowed that to happen to the precious part of Day that he'd left you. If I were as blind as you are right now, you wouldn't be here."

"I wouldn't?" Sakura gasped, tears and terror, despair and hopelessness all showing on her face.

"You wouldn't. When I hunted down the girl that had killed him, I found you." Matsu looked at her and Sakura looked at her with widening eyes.

"Me?"

"You. A girl, barely older than a child, pink hair. I'll never forget the look you had. You stood there next to the jinchuriki and fought for your life against Tobi. Kakashi was with you, as well as half of the kids from Konoha. Tobi was kind and made sure to work his way away from me so that I couldn't be found, while at the same time trying to suck me into his vortex so I wouldn't be killed. I hated him for it at the time, but I knew somewhere in my heart that he was trying to save me from what I was about to do. When I looked at you, though, I just couldn't bring myself to kill you."

"I named my son after his father. They looked identical. Appearance, attitude, the random hidden kindnesses that they did their best to hide so that everyone would just hate them. All of them in the Akatsuki did their best to make sure no one was left behind when someone died. That's why so many of them disliked Itachi-san."

"Oh my god." Sakura's eyes widened as she realized.

"You were pregnant with Sasori's' child."

"The one part of him that I would have been able to keep forever I sacrificed for my own selfishness.

"I met Deidara in the next village over and instantly recognized him. I cried when I saw him. Every time before that, when we'd run into each other I was so excited. It meant I would see Sasori-sama soon. Instead he looked at me and his eyes misted. We walked to each other and cried. I cried for Sasori, he cried for hearing what I'd been through. He cried for the life he almost lost. We just cried until we felt better. Than we came here. We promised that we would take care of each other, that we would protect the precious life that those around us had. That's why Day wouldn't allow you to die. He knew his live had ended long ago. He felt the whole time that he was living the life someone else lost. He would never allow anyone here to die. When we got here we had two children. The people where we'd met were cold and abusive to the children. We decided that it wasn't a life for those children. Day protected the adults, I protected the children. Most of the orphans in this village are currently in my care. Day made sure to take care of us. I get paid from the village for owning the orphanage, as well as taking care of the restaurant. They're in the same village."

"Day took care of the adults. We knew quickly that there was something wrong. It took us three years to find out exactly who was at fault. Exactly how far it went. As soon as Day found out, he lost it. He lost all his ability to rationalize. He broke out the eye make-up, pulled his hair up and went into the building with enough c2 to wipe out everything. He flicked the bits of it at the ones who he'd discovered had killed so many people here. He watched as they burned, feeling the fire, seeing the death and decay of the bodies. He'd changed over the last few years though and knew that it wasn't just art. He no longer thought the fire, the ending of the breath of life was so beautiful. He killed them all. When he walked out of that fire, his scope in his eye, his hair waving in the heat of the flames, everyone in this town knew instantly who he was. He came out and broke down. It took us a week to get him to talk. For a while I thought we'd lost him. He recovered though, and the people in the village thanked him for what he had done. They made him the leader, knowing that he would sacrifice his sanity, his mind, everything he'd grown to become. "

"A few people left, and it broke his heart. He wished them well, and told them all that he hoped they could forgive him. I thought we were over this. And then you came. I was pleasant, but I was watching you every second. I still hated you til that day when I realized. When I saw the look in your eyes I knew you truly loved him. You became me. Please, don't make my mistakes." Matsu looked Sakura in the eye who was now just staring at her.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry..." Sakura stared at her and Matsu shook her head with a light smile.

"You know the reason Day made sure to introduce you to me so quickly? He threatened me that night. If you were to die for any reason he'd never forgive me. He made sure to let me know you were here, and then did his best to make sure we'd get along. He wanted to make sure if anything happened, the one person who would hate you wouldn't hate you anymore. He protected the village again." Matsu laughed wildly, her tone quickly turning to sobs and Sakura just stared.

Matsu crumpled to the floor and cried.

Sakura realized that with Day's death, this woman lost the last tie she had to her love again.

She patted her on the back and Matsu stopped her.

"God, I suck at cheering people up!" She half cried, half laughed. "I'd better go. I need to be there for the kids." Matsu stood and walked towards the door.

"Take care of yourself. Don't you dare have a miscarriage." She murmured as she closed the door behind her.

Sakura knew what she had to do. She'd been ready to cry herself to death. To just curl up and give up living. Matsu, her words, her life, after hearing about it, Sakura knew she could live on.

She looked out the window and made up her mind on two things. First, she would make a proposal to Kaori to officially gain a name for the village. Sunshine. She wanted the sun of the day to watch down on them. She wanted Day to be there, watching down on them all.

Second, regardless of what they said, the man that had died had never really been Day. His name was always Deidara, no matter what he went by.

And that would be the name of her child as well.

"Time to get to work, Deidara." She looked at her stomach, patting just below her belly button.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

There is that! No, the story isn't nearly over yet! (You all should know me better than that!) I just had to write this part. It was actually a lot of fun bringing Matsu and Sakura together like that!

Lol and if anyone speaks Japanese, they should be amused at the thought of those two becoming friends.

Cherry blossoms and Jasmine flowers! Haha!

(Yeah, I made Matsu me. Only, in real live I've NEVER been pregnant from a guy as cute as Sasori! Or anyone that old. X_X)

Don't judge me! Sasori is so kyoot!

Anyway, see you next chapter!

JaNe!

Jasminflower69


	9. Chapter 9

Hey all! Time to get on with the story! You should all know that I love two things, plot bunnies and lemons! Wait, I mean happy endings! Plot bunnies and happy endings!

This isn't happy yet. I think there will only be two to four chapters left here.

(Edit, there's a total of 15 chapters. Not two.)

SnowRoseOfDeath- Omg! Really? I wasn't paying much attention! (teardrop) I love Sasori, but usually I saw him in black and white, so I didn't know the eye color. (Even more of a dork for not checking first..) Anyway, thanks for letting me know! (Have to change that when I get the chance.) Glad you're enjoying the story anyway! :D

Therefore, on with the show!

Disclaimer- I will NOT turn Deidara into Chibitalia. Putting Day's baby in a dress is just wrong.

Unless it's a girl. Then it's okay.

But I like the characters having boys. It's just right somehow.

Chapter 9

Sakura watched over the village, as they watched over her. She helped when she could, which was usually when someone else didn't stop her yelling that she shouldn't be lifting heavy things. She also healed those who needed it, and did her best to be a good help to Kaori. Kaori, though, withdrew and after about three months Matsu took over in his stead. Sakura watched how the village adjusted, but still stayed the same. She wore the scope that had been given to her. She never removed it and when she was asked about it she said it helped her see what life was supposed to be.

She kept the feeling of Day alive. She kept the feeling of his warmth, of the community he fought so hard for alive.

Sakura sat on the porch of her house and looked around with a smile. She house she had was the one she woke up in so long ago. Day's house was now hers.

She had a baby's room set up, and was both scared and hopeful. Matsu promised to help her learn how to care for a child, but Sakura was sure she'd still mess it up somehow.

Not that she thought she would be mean, she was always worried she'd bathe them wrong, or put the diapers on wrong.

It wasn't too long after that Matsu was in the bedroom, Kaori at the bedside, holding her hand. He may have withdrawn from the position of village leader, but he was still the assistant. He held her hand, knowing so badly that Day would be there if he could.

It was a long day, but around four that evening Sakura stepped out of her house, into the sun with her son in her hands. "It's a boy!" She called out to the whole of the village, who had been waiting with bated breath.

"Deidara, this is the Sunshine village, named after the brightness of the Day. The name we gave it after your father." The small bundle in her arms moved it's head around, his barely open eyes blinking nonstop in the sun.

He had the blue eyes of his father and the yellow hair as well.

She hoped that this child took after him completely.

It was three months later that she heard a knock at her door. She looked down at the small child, trying to push himself on the floor on his face and Sakura laughed, turning him over before headed to the door.

Nothing prepared her for what she saw.

Kakashi, Tsunade and Naruto were all standing there, staring at her.

She bit her lip and closed the door quickly, trying her best to regain her composure.

She opened the door a second later and tried her best to smile.

"How can I help you?"

Naruto stared at her, at first shocked by the thing over her eye that had belonged to Deidara so long ago before he jumped at her and threw his arms around her neck. "Sakura, come home! It's been over a year since you left us!"

"We came to talk with you about moving back to Konoha." Kakashi rolled his eyes at Naruto's lack of tact. "May we come in?"

"You can. Be careful." She spoke softly as she backed away from the door, headed into the living room.

Naruto looked at the child on the floor and his eyes widened. "Sakura?"

"This is Deidara. I named him after his father. This village now has a name. It is the Sunshine village, named after Day. The man who brought this group into the light. I won't go back." Sakura sighed, lifting her child in her arms. "I want this child to grow up here, where we don't have the violence or hatred. I want him to know the true strength of a person. If he wants to become a ninja, maybe someday he'll go to Konoha, but for now we need this village. We need them, they need us." Sakura sighed and Kakashi frowned at her.

"Why not? You know there are so many people in Konoha who would help you! You know there are just as many people there who care about you!"

"But it's not everyone. You don't understand. It's not the number of people that make the difference, it's the percent. I'd rather have one hundred percent of one hundred people care than ten percent of a thousand. I'd rather know that every face I pass will smile and ask me how my day is then have four people glare at me as if I were a threat. I'd rather be called three times a week to go help someone, and know that when I'm in trouble I'll have everyone come to help me than to sit in Konoha and worry. When I was in trouble, Naruto, you were the only one who cared. When Day died the whole village pulled together. They cooked and helped me. They forced me to sit down and relax. They made me take care of myself the way a pregnant woman is supposed to and made sure to get rid of any stress they could. When I had to use chakra to heal someone, the village made me sit down for the next day and rest. They made sure I wouldn't get too stressed, or overworked. When I had my baby there were one hundred and three people outside the front door. This village has one hundred and seven people living here. I know each of their names. The instant Kaori found out I was pregnant he gave me Day's house and let me name the village after him. Everyone cried when we had the funeral. Not just a few people here and there, every single person in this village shed tears together."

Naruto stared with open eyes and a sturdy set frown.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I need to sit down. Sorry I'm not making tea." She sat down and cuddled her baby softly to her cheek.

"I realized what a community is, and I won't leave it ever. I'm sorry, but I won't be returning to Konoha. I'll talk to Chiru at the inn and get you a free room, but Kakashi, for your own safety, you might not want to leave this house unless you're unrecognizable." She stood and sighed, sliding on her shoes and started walking to the door.

"Sakura, can I see him?" Tsunade asked with wide eyes and Sakura nodded with a slight smile and handed the child over. Tsunade's eyes widened more as she looked at the child. "He looks just like him. The same eyes and hair. It's really his."

"I already told you it was." Sakura smiled for the first time since they'd gotten there. "He's so smart too! He's only three months and he's trying to crawl!" Sakura grinned and Kakashi frowned, walking to the door and left for a moment.

When Kakashi came back Naruto was holding the baby, staring with the wonder of someone who's never seen such a small child. Kakashi chuckled at his expression, before smiling, knowing why they were holding the child.

"Sakura, there's something you need to know." Kakashi walked in and leaned against the door. "Kaori never told you what happened after me and Day left, did he?"

"He said you took him away. We couldn't even have a proper funeral because there wasn't a body. That's all I know."

"We stepped out and there was a fight between me and some woman. She was fierce!" Kakashi frowned, remembering and Sakura laughed.

"That would probably be Matsu. She is as weary of outsiders as Day was and she has a soft spot in her heart for the blood of Konoha or Suna ninjas after I killed her first love." Sakura sighed and looked as Naruto tried to fight his pinky away from the mouth of the child in his arms.

"Anyway, she got me good and Tsunade had to work her ass off to sew me back together. We talked, the three of us and made a deal. If after a year you decided not to come back, if a whole year passed and you still wanted this place, not only would we allow you that, but we'd give you back one thing that you want."

"The one thing I want you can't give me." She frowned and her arms crossed in front of her.

"Day swore that it wasn't just him, but the village that claimed you. If in one year you wouldn't come home, we'd let him come back."

Sakura turned to Kakashi slowly, her eyes wide, her heart in her chest aching.

"You brought back his body?" She gasped, an odd calm coming over her, as if having a proper funeral would help everyone.

"You don't understand. Day made Kaori promise not to tell you and by then Matsu was already unconscious. The pool of blood was mine. We didn't take his body, we took him." Sakura just stared.

"This is sick. This is sick and you need to leave now. How dare you come to my house and hold my child and pick on me over his father!" Sakura reached out for the baby but was stopped by arms around her neck.

She turned, ready to remove Kakashi's head from the rest of him but froze.

Kakashi was still leaning against the door. The arms weren't his.

Her eyes turned up to the man who was holding her.

Her legs wavered as she reached up, removing the scope from her eye. She was worried for a moment it was a genjutsu or hallucination, but he was still there, looking at her with a smile.

"You did well, Sakura."

"Day..." She stared as she finally fell to the floor, the shaking in her knees unable to keep the stability any longer.

"I'm sorry I couldn't let you know, but I knew they would take..." His eyes turned to Naruto and he noticed the small hand that held onto his finger. "Sakura?"

He looked down at her and all she could do was stare up at him, tears streaming down her face, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.

"Sakura!" He bent down and grabbed her, taking her over to the couch. He laid her down and looked her over quickly. He noticed a slight weight gain around her hips. Her chest had swelled significantly.

"Oh my god, Sakura, what have I done?"

"You came back..." She just stared at him, the words barely making it from her through the stutter in her throat. She could barely even breathe. "You came back to me." She grinned and he reached down, brushing his fingers across her cheek. "It's really you!" She looked up at him and he smiled back at her.

"It's really me. I'm home." Day grabbed her and sobbed, unable to stop the tears or the smiles.

"I'm home and I'm a father?" He turned to the child still in Naruto's arms and Sakura nodded.

"Deidara. The village is the Sunshine village. We named it for the brightness of Day. We named it after you."

"You named that poor child Deidara?" Day stood and walked over, taking the child with wonder from the other man's arms.

"I named him after a man I grew to love. Someone who was able to prove to me that everyone can change and fight for what they truly want if they try. That the most monstrous of people can become the greatest people in the world if they try." Sakura was fighting to sit up, tears and smiles, her hand on her chest.

Sakura heard a bang and turned, seeing Matsu at her door, her hand at Kakashi's throat.

"You bitch! You had the balls to show your face here again after what you did..." Matsu had tears in her eyes and Sakura laughed.

"Matsu?" She turned to Sakura, but her eyes didn't make it that far. She saw Day, his eyes wide, focused totally on the wrapped blanket in his arms.

"Day!" She gasped and ran over, feeling for solidity. "You're real, you're alive? This poor woman was in labor! Kaori almost passed out three times holding her hand in your stead and you were alive!"

"I'm a father..." Day looked up with a grin and Matsu sighed, leaning down.

"You didn't know? I told her the day you... left. Kaori knew."

"He didn't tell me. He wanted me to be able to follow through with my promise."

Day looked at them and collapsed to the floor, Matsu grabbing 'Dei' from his father.

"You two need some time. I'll keep an eye on him tonight." She held the child happily and Dei turned to her and burped.

"Day, welcome home." She smiled brightly and Sakura watched as Matsu left the room. She knew in less than an hour there would be streamers in the roadways.

Sakura looked up at Day as he turned back to her, his eyes wide.

"The city, everything looks better now than it did when I left. You really worked hard, didn't you?"

"I wanted to make you proud of me." she sobbed and Day walked over to her, falling to his knees between her legs and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so proud! The village is doing so well! There's a baby! I have a baby! You have been taking care of him all by yourself!" His face turned to pain and Sakura smiled, shaking her head.

"You raised this village better than that. I don't take care of him all by myself. Everyone helps. Everyone takes care of whatever they can. If it's too much, if it's too hard for me, someone helps me. You made this village so that no one bears all of the burdens by themselves."

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you!" Sakura wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"You were. Not in person, but with this village you were always here for me." She cried and Kakashi and Tsunade turned, walking away.

Naruto just stared at them. "Sakura, are you really sure that this is what you want? Him? I'll move out here! I'll take care of you!"

"Naruto, don't make me tell her about the yogurt incident. Go away." Day turned to him and Naruto stuck out his tongue with a grin before walking away.

"I'm sorry I stuck you with such a heavy weight. I knew that you would be able to handle it, though! I'm so happy!" Day nearly sobbed into her shoulder.

"I never even got to tell you before I left. I'm so sorry!" He sobbed again and Sakura turned to him, confused. "Sakura, I'm sorry! I love you!" He kissed her quickly, pressing his hands to her cheeks. "I love you so much!" He cried as he kissed her again and again, causing Sakura to just stare for a moment before covering her mouth with her hand.

"We had never had the chance to get to this point. It's weird. I had your child, but I still blush when you kiss me." She smiled and Day looked at her with wide eyes.

She was right. "Every day I was gone I thought about you. Naruto had me stay in your room as a way to keep me calm. I hope you don't mind. I went through your things, read your diary. I learned so much about you I never realized. Every day I learned more. Every day I grew to love you more. I know why they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Sakura, I don't think I would have survived if you had said that you would have returned with them." He grasped her, holding her so tightly that she squeaked. He quickly softened the hold, but didn't let her go.

"Sakura, will you stay with me here forever?"

"Of course!" She smiled and Day turned to her with fear hidden across him. He was trying so hard to be strong!

"Will you marry me?" She looked at him with wide eyes. She looked into his eyes and noticed that he somehow looked younger.

"I already said of course." She smiled and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. She watched confused for a moment before he opened the box and pulled out a ring.

It was a blue sapphire butterfly on a silver band, a small diamond on each of the wings. "It's beautiful!" She gasped and watched as he carefully slid it on her finger.

She looked up to see him, the joy that welled inside him was visible.

She watched his face as he softly lifted her from the couch, carrying her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, carefully removing her cloths before his own and laid down beside her.

Sakura wrapped her arms around him, taking in his scent. She didn't realize the house no longer carried it and she just laid there, feeling him beside her.

"Welcome home, Day." She looked up with a smile as he turned off the lights.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Woots for finishing another chapter! I think this one is coming along rather well. There's still one more major thing I need to happen before this story is complete. I love messing with things! Don't know how many chapters it will take, I know I said before two to four, but it may be a few chapters longer.

Hope you don't mind, but I need to break one more person completely! Mwahahaha!

Anyway, See you next chapter!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	10. Chapter 10

Hey all! I'm on to the next chapter, but there's a little thing, a time skip! This is Day and knight Shippuden! Lawls!

It's time to go a bit down the road. Not too long, about four years. Don't worry, I won't change too much! Haha!

Anywho, on with the show!

Disclaimer- The power of Pocky compels you!

Chapter 10

Sakura yelled out of the front door, Dei turning to look at her with his little eyes shining like sapphires. "I'll go clean my room later! Micheru found a dead body!" He yelled and Sakura stilled.

"A WHAT?"

"Come on!" Dei rolled his eye and his mother ran out the door following after.

It was only an hour later that Sakura walked back into the house, a deep sigh as she sat down. Day walked in and looked at her, his hair up in a ponytail similar to what he used to wear, but she'd never admit to him that Dei looked more like Deidera than he did. Especially when he got into Sakura's makeup and did his eyes, which was at least once a week. She ended out hunting him down one day when he said he was going to his friend down the street and that evening he wasn't back yet. He was only four, so she tried to keep an eye on him as much as possible, but when someone came in with an illness she didn't stop him from leaving.

She went to his friends' house to hear that they were supposed to be at her house.

Sakura looked through the scope, which Day had never reclaimed from his return. She looked for him and ended out leading a search all the way to the next village over. She yelled at him and took him by the ear, dragging him the eight miles home. Three other women dragged their children in tow.

Deidera was so like his father sometimes, and she giggled as she watched him turn from that small baby into one hell of a sadistic four year old. He wanted to go to Konoha with Uncle Naruto and be a ninja. She was worried severely about this, as he was already stronger than most low level chunin. He was definitely stronger than she was as a chunin.

"Mom, I need more clay!" He yelled from the yard and Sakura grinned, standing and walked past Day to the doorway.

"No way! You blew up the strawberry bushes last week! Find something else to work on! Work on drawing something!"

"Drawing is so boring! What's the use in making something that will never change? You want me to practice art, but real art is a bang!" He grinned in and Sakura watched as a small spider jumped from his hand, creating a small spark and puff of smoke.

Sakura turned to Day and just looked at him, the look on his face shocked and almost terrified, but at the same time she could tell he was hiding his amusement at the remark.

"He's too much like you. I already know I'm in trouble." Sakura grinned as Day reached forwards and wrapped his arm around her waist. He kissed her lightly, her giggles ringing through the otherwise quiet house.

"Sakura! Day! Town meeting!" Sakura heard and groaned.

"Save that for tonight?" Sakura smiled seductively and Day grinned back.

It was a little bit later that Sakura and Day were in the meeting hall. It had been built shortly after Day returned to the village.

Konoha only allowed Day to return on two conditions. First, while he was in Konoha he had to pass their basic ninja training and reach chunin level within the year. He didn't have to try that hard for that.

He also had to agree to join Konoha, and Sakura had to keep her alliance to them as well.

With this, not only did Day NOT take over again as the Sunshine Village's kage, but he was now a major part of the economy. He was required to do missions, as was Sakura, when needed, but the majority of the time their job was just to make sure that no one tried to sneak into Konoha.

"Day and Sakura, you have both been assigned a mission. Dei will live with me. No one besides the two of us have the balls to tell that pyro no." Matsu rolled her eyes. "Everyone else, you know what to do. According to the paper I received, this mission may last months. Sakura, if you're not back in six months, go to Konoha. Naruto will have picked Dei up by then. He'll probably be enrolled in the ninjutsu school by then." Matsu rolled her eyes again.

"Everyone, you know what to do and how to change your schedules. Sakura and Day, please report to me. Everyone else, you're dismissed."

The hall cleared and Day and Sakura looked at each other surprised. They never got missions together like this. It was odd. They walked to Matsu who handed them a scroll that was still sealed.

"Let me know when you're leaving so I can have Dei taken care of. You two, take care." Matsu smiled at them, but Sakura could see the worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry. We'll come back fine." Sakura smiled and patted her friend on the shoulder before she turned, hearing the cracking of the wax on the scroll.

It was a bit til Sakura gasped, her eyes wide, her hand over her mouth.

"I'll mail back. I'll tell her you refuse. I'll run the mission myself."

"No, you know why I can't allow that." Sakura looked over at Matsu, who was staring.

"Can I ask?" She nearly whispered. She hadn't seen Sakura this shaken up since she was told Day was dead.

"Our first long term solo mission is to kill my first love." Sakura whispered and Matsu stared.

"Oh my god, Sakura! Are you sure you won't turn it down?" Matsu stepped forwards, looking at the younger woman who was hunched down, in the starting hyperventilation of a panic attack.

"I can't. This is something I really need to do. I need to get this cleared up so I don't think about him any more." Sakura stood, stretching, stopping the hyperventilation.

"I want to go home. We're supposed to leave in the morning. Honestly, I want to get a little more time with Dei before we leave." Sakura turned to Day who nodded and stood, walking out with her.

Matsu smiled sadly as they left.

She knew how strong they were, but she also knew how weak they could each be. She prayed that nothing happened to them. She didn't want to be the one trying to explain to Dei that something had happened...

Matsu sighed and turned, looking out the window to the street below.

She needed a few minutes to think.

Sakura and Day spent the rest of the day with Dei. They explained to him what was happening and spent the next few hours cuddling him until bedtime.

They packed quickly and went to bed, but didn't get to sleep for hours.

Sakura woke the next morning, looked down and realized she forgot her potion again. If she found out she was pregnant, she decided, she would tell them to find someone else besides them to carry out this mission.

She sighed as she turned to Day who was now awake, laying on his back, running his fingers through her hair. "You know, no matter what, I'll always love you."

"I do. And I hope you know that I will never stop loving you." Sakura grinned, kissing him sweetly before standing and stretching. Day watched her with heavy lidded eyes before Sakura turned to him and smiled.

"We need to get dressed. We have to make sure Dei eats breakfast before we take him to Matsu's." Sakura frowned, unwilling to admit how much she hated this.

It was two hours later when Sakura hugged her young monster, combing her fingers through his hair. "You behave. You know that if you don't behave, Matsu has no issues punishing you." Sakura sniffed, doing her best to keep from crying.

Day patted her back, trying his best to comfort her while not intruding. "I love you so much!" Sakura hugged him tightly and Dei hugged her back, tears in his little eyes.

"Mommy, I'll take care of the village. I'll make sure when you come back everything is fine. I'll make you proud of me!"

"I already am." Sakura smiled, turning her back to keep him from seeing her tears.

"Dei, don't blow anyone up. You keep yourself safe, alright?" Day leaned down and Dei looked his father in the eye before narrowing his.

"Daddy, why are you scared?"

"I'm worried things might not work out. I don't want to die, and I don't want to leave you alone. I don't want Naruto to raise you to end out like him." Day frowned and stuck out his tongue and Dei smiled at him.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Dei. Take care." Day spoke softly before standing and turning, taking Sakura's sobbing form by the shoulders and leading her down the road.

Everyone made sure to be on the way and wish them well.

It wasn't til three hours later that they reached the next village. Sakura whined half of the way about how she wasn't ready for this anymore. She didn't realize when she'd left the village what a major change in her system it had caused when she sat around and did trivial things for the last year.

They reached the village with a frown. It was the one they'd gone to to get Deidara. It was the village that came over for the last two years and partied about their damned anniversary.

It was the city that apparently Sasuke had made his home three years ago.

Sakura frowned when they looked around. What were the chances that he'd already seen them?

Too many.

When she yelled, dragging her son, yelling 'Deidara! Deidara!' here a few weeks ago.

They were supposed to be here on a mission to bring their two cities closer together, but neither of them actually wanted that.

The one running the village was a taller man, his white hair set off the dark blue of his eyes. They looked through them like knives.

"I take it you're Day and Sakura. Welcome." The man bowed and stepped back, showing them the way. Sakura looked up at Day who stood before her in a protective manner.

"We are. We're going to be staying here for a bit. See how the village works. See what you have to offer, as well as what we can do to assist you."

"Well, honestly, we already knew the way you gathered the Sunshine village was amazing. That's the only reason we really agreed to this. After that, we spoke with a few of the villagers when we could and found out a little more about how things there are run. It seems you have a very helpful staff. We're a little more worried here, as we have so many more people. It's harder to rally three thousand that one hundred." The man stood and looked up at the sun, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Not that Sakura could blame him. The temperature was insane.

"My name is Shiromaru." Sakura stared at him with dropped jaws.

"You can't be Shiromaru. He's been dead for nearly thirty years." The man turned to her with an annoyed smile.

"I am Shiromaru, I'm not THE Shiromaru of Konoha. There's a difference. I heard you were the pupil of one Hatake Kakashi, the son of the shiromaru. I'd like to get to hear a little of the techniques he's taught you."

"He didn't teach me much. What I learned was primarily from the Hokage. Tsunade-sensei was an amazing teacher." Sakura smiled and Shiromaru looked her over, grinning.

"Day, I've heard you used to be in the Akatsuki, that you were the father of an Akatsuki and that at one point you were the one that the Akatsuki was trying to escape from. I'm curious about your history."

"My original name was Deidara. I was a member of the Akatsuki." Day nodded and Shiromaru's eyes widened.

"Really? You were Deidara? Can I see some sort of... proof?"

"This is the best I have right now. I won't set off explosives within city limits unless it's an emergency." Day removed his glove and showed the man a mouth on his hand. Even though he'd sewn up the ones on his torso, which Sakura was making little real progress in healing up, he still occasionally needed the ones on his hands.

The mouth grinned and licked it's lips and Day frowned at it, replacing his glove.

Shiromaru showed them to the inn and told them where to go to reach the city hall from there. Sakura looked out of the window, three stories down on the busy, bustling street below.

"It's been a long time since I've seen so many people. I feel nervous." She looked over at Day who turned to her and smiled.

"You know there's nothing to fear."

"This place is so big. It feels like it's almost as big as Konoha." Sakura looked down and Day sighed, not gaining the courage to inform her it was three quarters the size.

They found the town hall with relatively few problems, and were soon inside, looking around.

The whole of the village was so out in the open. It looked as if they were drawing the traitors in to let them through here. Like they were announcing that they had a place to stock up before blowing up the towns within.

Shiromaru frowned as he looked over some of the paperwork as they walked into his office.

"Sakura, Day." He bowed again and they did in turn.

""I'll have one of my men take you on a tour. Unfortunately, with such a large city I have a lot of responsibilities. Sorry I can't take you personally."

"At one point in time we've each been in control of a city. We understand."

"There's a significant difference between the paperwork required here and that in the Sunshine village." Sakura didn't like his tone, the way she felt he was downplaying their village.

"I was in control of Konoha for many months after the death of Jarayia. It took Tsunade-sensei a bit of time to recover from the loss of so close a friend." Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously at him and Shiromaru looked to her, his eyes felt like they'd pierced her.

"I apologize, I meant no disrespect. I'm not saying it's any less a job, just due to the size it has different responsibilities." Day elbowed Sakura and she nodded, accepting the apology.

"We'll go down and wait at the front desk. Good day to you." Day smiled brilliantly and elbowed Sakura again after hearing the scope change modes.

"Good day." Sakura murmured and Shiromaru nodded, his attention already returned to the papers before him.

At the front desk they were met by a shy girl, Sakura guessed her age at around fifteen, but she kept looking around, as if she were terrified by something.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked and the girl looked up at her, surprised someone cared.

"It's nothing you high level shinobi should worry about. We've had a bit of trouble lately from a rampant. We can't seem to find out who he is and he's attacking random people. Do yourselves a favor and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious." Sakura nodded, smiling.

"Thank you for the warning." She smiled, meaning only to be polite, but the girl looked at her surprised.

Sakura had forgotten how lost the niceties were.

The girl, who Sakura had discovered was named Roya, was kind, and sweet, though she was terrified whenever she was out of the buildings. She stared at the rooftops and looked through the windows. She looked down every alley and Sakura quickly began to worry about the girl's mental state.

"When were you attacked?" Sakura looked at her and the girl looked up with the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"Please don't tell them! They'll kick me out!" Roya pleaded and Sakura frowned.

"I won't tell. Explain to me what happened."

"He raped me. I was walking home from work and he was just there as fast as lightening. I'd never seen anyone that quick in my life!" She gasped out, Sakura could tell she wasn't even seeing the world around her. "He grabbed me by my shoulder and next thing I know, I'm on top of the buildings. It was only a second, but he tore my shoulder and bit my neck. Next thing I know he throws me off of the building and I landed on the street, my cloths gone, bleeding and I couldn't even stand. I had to bang on the door and my mother helped me get cleaned up so that I could sleep for work the next day."

Sakura stared at this girl, her fury showing easily in her expression, in her clenched and shaking hands.

"In the Sunshine village, in the years since I've been there, there was only one rape. We caught him within minutes." Roya's eyes turned up to her with surprise.

"How, what did you do to her?" Roya's tone was scared, quiet.

"I healed her. She didn't deserve what he'd done to her. I castrated him myself." Sakura growled and Roya just stared.

"You punished him?"

"That's the way it's supposed to be. You shouldn't be punished for being raped. This is an outrage!" Sakura turned to Day who looked at her.

He shared her thoughts, but he knew better.

"Sakura, reclaim your emotions. This isn't the right place."

After the tour, Sakura took her back to the inn and healed her shoulder, removed any traces of the teethmarks that marred the girl's skin. She was so happy and Sakura told the girl that if they ever threatened to punish her to go to the Sunshine village and she'd be welcomed.

They returned to the city, looking around the shops as they kept an eye out for anything suspicious. Sakura made it her secondary goal to catch him.

It was three uneventful days that they searched in vain.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Woohoo! This is going to get very interesting! Hahaha!

Hope to see you all here for the next chapter!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	11. Chapter 11

Hey all! Sorry for cutting off in the last chapter like that, but I realized that what I was going to do was too crappy and decided to erase the next few chapters and write them so that they didn't suck so badly. This is going to add a lot more to the story, and probably a few chapters as well. Yay!

Anywho, it's time for me to get on with it!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- omgomgomgomgomg! I want my own Deidara! He's so cute!

Chapter 11

They had been there for three days. The village was full of torment and despair. Sakura hated being there more and more, every second made it worse. By this time she almost couldn't bear to leave the hotel room, seeing starving people in the streets, children who had been abandoned and were starving, it took her back to her mission so long ago. She remembered the little girl she'd given a candy to and prayed that she was doing better. She saw so many faces here that showed the same anguish, the same fears and pain.

She wandered into the hotel room and sat hard on the bed. Day frowned, noticing the change in her and frowned. "Sakura?"

"I don't know if I can do this. Shiromaru is doing nothing for these people! The women are all being tormented, the children have been tossed aside and left to die! What kind of man does that?" She covered her mouth with her hands, doing her best to keep from crying.

Day walked over and sat beside her, lightly brushing his hand against her back.

"When we're done with our mission we can inform Konoha of what's going on here. Between Kakashi, Naruto and Tsunade-sama, I'm sure that something will be done here. We need to get this mission done as quickly as possible, though. We need to get home so we can-"

"No, It can't wait for that." Sakura turned to her medical bag and pulled out a syringe, drawing blood from right next to her own lungs.

No matter how many times Day saw it, it was still torture for him. He knew how much it hurt to stab herself like this, and he prayed each time that her nerves wouldn't cause her to go too far.

Sakura pulled out a quill and paper and started into her note.

'Tsunade,

Please send in reinforcements to this village! It's a nightmare here! The children are dying in the streets and no one steps in to save them. The women are being attacked by a serial rapist. I've spoken to four women who have been attacked and each of them are afraid to tell anyone. They have been told it's a sign of weakness and will lose their jobs as shinobi. Please send in someone to take charge and overthrow A.S.A.P!

I will be waiting for further instructions.

Sakura'

She released the bird from the edge of the village, making sure it wasn't seen.

Day watched her as she looked into the sunset, the fear that had overtaken her was something that she wasn't used to. She had been afraid before, but never like this.

But this was part of the reason he loved her. He knew that she was kind. He knew that seeing people suffering was unbearable for her.

That's why she was part of the Sunshine village now.

He waited til she turned, but she froze, her eyes above his head.

She stared for a moment before Day turned and saw the village behind them.

He turned back to her with a confused look. "Sakura?"

"Sasuke..." She whispered and Day turned again. He didn't see anything.

"Where?" Day looked for anything and realized she probably saw him through the scope. He turned to her, finding her already gone.

Sakura bounded from tree to tree, leaping from the last one to a building and kept going. She flew through the air like a spark til she reached the tallest of the buildings, looking down at the man on top of a building towards the other end of town.

It was him.

Sasuke was there, looking out at the street below, hatred seemed to pour from every bit of him. Sakura readjusted the scope, looking him over quickly. He was furious. He was seething. He was talking to someone. She looked around the top of the building, eventually seeing someone on the other side of the building.

Sakura nearly fell.

She had never seen his face, she had never seen him at all, but she instantly knew who it was.

"Oh, fuck." She murmured, the long hair from the other blowing to the other side. He whipped it over his shoulder, giving her a good look at him. He smiled for a moment before turning to her, looking her dead in the eye.

Sakura turned. She didn't know how, but she turned, seeing him right before her. It wasn't speed. It was genjutsu. She was trapped.

"Oh, god, no..." She looked as his eyes narrowed, grinning.

"Who are you, and why are you watching us?"

"I'm Koe." She realized that since it was a genjutsu, chances were he wouldn't know what she said while in here. She prayed that this was the case. "I didn't mean to spy, but to see two such good looking guys on a building, I just had to get in a better look!" She smiled, trying her best to look happy to have him so close to her.

"You're lying. Why are you lying?"

"Because..." She stepped back, her brain clouding in fear. She knew he had 72 hours to get the information out of her.

She was terrified because she realized he wouldn't be asking if he couldn't retrieve the information somehow. She needed to remain silent for 72 hours, no matter what kind of torture he put her through.

"Please don't do this!" She stared at him, so scared he seemed blurred.

He stepped closer, giving her a chance to look him over better.

She needed to remember to stay the hell away from him.

She stepped away, forgetting that it was useless and he looked at her with his eyes narrowing steadily.

"You're here from Shiromaru, aren't you? You're trying to kill us. You won't succeed." He reached for a kitana and Sakura stilled.

"That ass is trying to kill you?" Sakura stared at him with wide eyes. He looked back at her, frowning. He could feel that she was asking honestly.

"We're unhappy with the way he's leading this village. Unfortunately the people here are so afraid of him that they won't stand up against him."

Sakura nodded.

"Is Sasuke with or against Konoha? I need to know this now." She stood up, her fear forgotten. He took a moment to respond, looking over her movements and actions, trying to decide whether or not she needed this information.

"Quickly! I can send Tsunade another note if he's not against us! My mission is to kill him! If he's not against Konoha, I don't have to try!" She gritted her teeth and the man before her nodded.

"His defection was against my plans. I never intended him to leave Konoha. He's tried to make amends, but so far nothing has worked out. Since the death of Tobi, Sasuke has been siding with Konoha."

"What about you? I heard that the whole thing with you was a mission, and that the one who did it was deemed a traitor for it. Is this true?" Sakura welled up, hope pouring from her and he nodded.

"I never sided against Konoha." He nodded and Sakura stared.

"Come to the hotel, room 308. That's where we are. We need to talk, all four of us." Sakura grinned and he nodded in agreement. "I'll send the note now telling Tsunade that you're on our side. I know she didn't want this mission, but if you're willing to rejoin Konoha our missions are the same."

"You want him brought down?" The black hair covered his eyes for a moment, but she was too caught up in her own thoughts.

"More than anything. I want that man to suffer for what he's done to these people." Sakura growled and the man before her smiled.

She was dazzled for a moment, seeing such a radiant smile from someone as beautiful as him. All she could do was stare before shaking her head.

"Please release this jutsu so I can get this note sent." She asked and he nodded. "Thank you, Itachi!" She gasped and he blinked.

The world around her shifted, she looked through the scope, seeing him looking up at her. He nodded and turned back to Sasuke, who she realized was staring oddly at him. She sat quickly, reaching back into her medical bag.

Day found her just in time for her to stab the needle into her chest again.

She reached the hotel room and Day ran to get a glass of water. She sighed and turned, looking out the window. It was interesting, knowing Sasuke was going to be in her room, and she had her husband with her. She smiled, realizing that either way, she still wanted Day more.

He ran into the room and she smiled at him, her bangs barely covering the scope and he smiled. She looked like him so long ago.

She drank the water down quickly, being dehydrated from the blood draws. She turned to him and reached up, throwing her arms around his throat.

"No matter what, I love you most." She sighed and he reached his arms around her, grinning.

"Sakura, I know you used to love him, but I know you're honest and loyal. Don't think I'm going to worry about having two pretty men around." He grinned, rolling his eyes. "I know you better than that."

"You're wrong." She said and he looked down at her surprised. "There will be three pretty men, and I already have the best one." She smiled and Day chuckled, kissing her softly before the knock at the door reached their ears.

Sakura ran over, not wanting them to get caught in the hallway.

She opened the door and Itachi stilled, for the first time seeing the scope on her eye. While he was shocked about this, Sasuke looked at her and turned to Itachi.

"It's Sakura. She's useless."

"She has connections. That scope, how did you get it?" Sasuke turned to her, noticing the scope as well.

"It can't be... Deidara's scope." Sasuke reached forwards and Sakura stepped back.

"Get in here before you're seen." She gritted and they came in.

Day was visibly uncomfortable due to Itachi's presence. Itachi saw him and his eyes narrowed.

"Deidara." He stared and Sasuke gritted his teeth. Itachi reached out, stilling his little brother and Sakura frowned.

"I'm sorry if this is odd. I know you both have fought with him in the past, but he's now a Konoha ninja. He is now known as Day."

"Ah, I heard about your visit, to see about strengthening the bonds between this and your villages."

"It was a mission to kill Sasuke in disguise. We believed you were siding with Shiromaru and believed it better not to mention you to him. Turns out that was a good Idea." Day frowned, closing the blinds on the window. "They would have hunted you down and brought you to us. We would have probably never had the chance to talk to you then."

"Anyway, we need to find a way to help this village. I've asked Tsunade to bring in a military group to overthrow, but we'll need some of the people from here on our side to help. If we don't, any group we bring in will be defeated. We'll need to get the women to side with us." Sakura grinned and Sasuke looked at her with confusion.

"How are you going to get the women to side with you?"

"Easy. I already have five of them on my side. All we need to do is find the rape victims." Sakura looked at Day who nodded.

"That's right. You're a woman in power. They're instantly looking up to you for caring about them. If we can catch the rapist, we'll be in even better circumstances."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke blurted out. Years of solitude caused him to become reckless and brash, two things that never worked well with ninja. Itachi wouldn't respond, but had a similar look on his face.

"There's been a serial rapist in town for the last few weeks. He's raping women it seems nonstop. I've spoken to four of them. One of them goes to a medic on the east side of town who is dealing almost nonstop with women who need healed to cover their rapes because the women have been told that if they were weak enough to be raped they didn't need to become shinobi. It will be easy to get abused women to try and find safety. It's a survival instinct at that point." Sakura turned to Day who nodded. Sasuke looked at her with fury in his face, while Itachi looked to be mulling something over.

"Sasuke, why are you so angry about this?" Itachi asked after a moment and he gritted his teeth.

"It's a classic Shiromaru move. Beat the women in a town where two thirds of the inhabitants are female. It's the fastest way to get the village to fear you. He's such a coward!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes at his little brother, a move not missed by Sakura.

"Either way, we need to catch him and get the women at that clinic to join us without anyone else knowing. The best way will be to make up a flier and have the medic pass them out to all of the rape victims. We'll need to know when Konoha will be here to have them meet up just before." Sakura smiled, thinking.

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Day looked at her and Sakura turned to him with wide eyes.

"As if you're not?"

"You know I'll do anything you ask." Day rolled his eyes, a smile hidden on his face.

Itachi narrowed his eyes again, but quickly turned away, a slight blush crossing his cheeks.

Sasuke missed the last comment entirely and was already thinking about something different when there was a small knock at the door.

Sakura turned and listened for a second before smiling. She walked over and waved Sasuke and Itachi not to bother when they went to hide behind the corner wall. They stared as Sakura opened the door with a smile. She bent down and Sasuke could have sworn she cooed.

She turned, bringing in a child.

"Is this appropriate?" Itachi frowned before looking at the child.

His eyes looked over at Itachi and he stilled, staring.

The child looked exactly like the Deidara he remembered. All Itachi could do was stare as Sakura sighed. "Dei, what are you doing here?"

"Matsu asked me to bring you this." He held up his hands and Sakura looked at it confused. Sakura opened the package from him and opened it, confused.

She blushed terribly before stashing the bag and Day covered his mouth with his hand before he could start laughing.

Dei grinned and looked at her. "When are you coming home, Mommy?"

Sasuke nearly died.

"You're this kid's mother?"

"I am." She looked at him with slight anger and grinned. "I'm willing to bet you can tell who the father is."

Sakura chuckled, as Dei even had his hair the same way his father used to wear it. He looked just like this, only taller.

Itachi frowned, a bead of sweat breaking out on his forehead and Sakura turned, noticing his heart started to speed.

"Itachi, what's wrong?"

"You taught this child to resist genjutsu?" He turned to Day, who just stared at him.

"Can he?"

"I tried, just to see if I could. He's staring at me, but I can't get into his head at all."

"It's due to me." Sakura sighed and the boys all turned to her, confused.

"I taught him as a baby to focus. His eyes have a shimmer, if you look closely. You can cause concentrated chakra to do many things, but one of the lesser known is to cause it to cover the eyes. You can use it in battle if needed, but the rest of the time it keeps people from being able to see into you. It's useful for genjutsu as well as other mind ninjutsu, like transfers and those that can see memories. They usually have to look you in the eye, but what happens if you're looking into a rock?"

"Nothing..." Itachi stared, surprised.

"I'd heard that the Sunshine Village's Sakura Night was a skilled medic, but this is very high level. Using the eyes like this..."

"Sakura Night?" Sakura asked and Sasuke nodded, while Itachi kept his eyes locked with Dei's.

"It's the name you've gained through most of the country. You're one of the most talked about ninjas who is on almost none of the bingo books. It's rumored that you saved a four year old girl who had been slashed across the chest to the point that her lungs and heart were showing. I figured it was just a rumor."

"Ah, Karin." Sakura grinned, looking over at Day, who smiled back softly. "I'll never forget that day. That was the day you welcomed me to the village." Sakura grinned and Dei looked at her wide eyed.

"Karin-san really had such an injury?" Dei asked with wide eyes and Sakura nodded.

"Yes, but mommy took care of it." Sakura smiled, grabbing the boy as if he were a stuffed animal and cuddled up with him, sitting on the foot of the bed.

Day noticed the funny look on his face and frowned. "Why are you confused by this?"

"There's not even a scar." He frowned and Sakura smiled.

"It would have been under her shirt, honey. You wouldn't be able to see it."

"I see her like that all the time. There's no scar." Sakura paled and Day didn't know whether to be afraid or proud.

"Why are you seeing Karin's chest?"

"She wants to be a boy when she grows up. She says she's practicing." Dei rolled his eyes and Sakura gasped, slightly panicking. "Ew! I'm not doing that surgery!" She frowned and Day nodded.

"It's weird. She says being a girl just isn't worth it when you have to deal with men who treat you like dirt." He frowned and Sakura stared.

Day and Sasuke instantly noticed the gears in her head going to work.

She broke off her thoughts and smiled softly at the boy. Sweetie, mommy has to get back to work. Day, can you take him home? I need a moment..." She lowered her arms from the child, who looked let down at the loss of contact.

He stood up to his knees and hugged her tightly, his little arms around her neck.

"I love you mommy. I miss you."

"I miss you too, honey! I love you so much!" She smiled, snuggling into the boy's shoulder.

Day stood and nodded. "I'll get him home soon. And I'll tell Matsu not to send him out here anymore! This is too far for a four year old to go on his own!" Day ground his teeth and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Not like it's the first time. He had half of the kids in the village down here one day! We had to hunt them down!"

"That explains that." Itachi frowned and Sakura turned to him, noticing it wasn't just a few beads of sweat anymore, but he was drenched. Sakura could tell he was in tremendous pain. "Part of the reason I'm here was I was told that there was someone yelling at Deidara here. I heard he had a green eye and blonde hair, as well as the scope. They drew me a picture, I thought it was just chibi." He leaned against the wall and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Take off your cloak." She whispered and Itachi turned to her, shaking his head lightly.

"It's unnecessary."

"I don't care. Take it off." Itachi frowned, but reached up and undid the clasp, letting the cloak fall to the floor.

Itachi's clothing was soaked. He'd been suffering for a while. She stilled for a moment, surprised to find he was even cuter like this!

She looked to his side, finding an injury.

That's what she'd thought. He was poisoned.

"Lay down. Day, take him home." She frowned, running over and tearing the shirt from him.

Itachi reached down, grasping her wrist in surprise.

She looked at him, dead in the eye and frowned. "Let me heal this. It's poisoned, I can tell you've been suffering." She frowned and Itachi stared at her for a while before releasing her wrist and looking away.

Sasuke watched how she went to work, running to get water, pressing the water in through the wound, the brown water that she sucked out of him. Itachi frowned through the whole thing, but Sasuke noticed something Sakura didn't.

The clenching of his hands every time her skin came into contact with his.

Sasuke frowned, realizing how easily Sakura had gotten them to join in something this massive this quickly, when they themselves had been working on it for months.

The puzzle started piecing itself together, and Sasuke didn't like the picture it was creating...

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Woots for rewrites! This is so much better than it was going to be! Yay! See you all tomorrow!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	12. Chapter 12

I'm back for more! I luvvies this! I'm such a story whore! Haha!

Anyway, time to get to work!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- I have boobies! :)

Chapter 12

Sasuke watched with relief as well as anger when his brother sat up from the bed. He had been drenched in sweat, and was therefore made to strip. Sakura had a towel covering his waist and was at work, pushing and pulling water through his pores. She'd stated that the poison had worked it way through his bones, but for the life of him, Sasuke had no idea where the wound came from.

Itachi watched, his eyes focused on the hands of the girl at his hip, doing his best not to think of his state of dress. She pulled her hands back and Itachi felt the draw of water from all the way down in his toes. It was both terrifying and relieving at the same time, but he couldn't make up his mind on which it was more.

Sakura knew there would only be one more round, then all of the poison would be out. She was working specifically in the bone's marrow by this point and so the water went farther. On the other hand, this was probably round number thirty.

Day walked through the door and looked, seeing Itachi looking naked with Sakura's head way too close to his crotch and just stared, jaw dropped. Sasuke looked over at him and frowned.

Neither one liked this situation.

"There!" Sakura groaned and sat up, showing the towel at Itachi's waist and Day relaxed a little.

He knew she worked with naked men, but he was never there to SEE it. This was different.

She placed her hand on his exposed hip and pulled, the water flowing from him was an odd color and she frowned as she looked at it, making sure it splashed into the tub below.

She bent down and looked at it, the color alone being enough to worry her.

She looked up at him and sighed. "Please bear with me..." She put her hand on his hip again and closed her eyes, a green shine coming from her hand.

"Exploratory chakra." Sasuke murmured and Itachi nodded, doing his best to hide his face.

Day frowned even more at noticing that.

"It's the bone marrow. It's ill in your whole leg. Hold on." She turned the chakra from his foot and it went through his hip, causing Itachi to gasp.

The sensation wasn't painful, but it was certainly not pleasant either.

Sakura frowned as the chakra slowly lead up his body, searching his back, his ribs and eventually leading through the arm.

"Wouldn't it be better just to move your hand to my shoulder?" Itachi asked and Sakura looked up confused, seeing the blush on the man before her.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She looked down, hiding her own blush as she pulled her chakra back in.

She sat behind him, placing her hands right in the middle of his shoulder blades and closed her eyes.

The chakra moved in, he could feel his arms enveloped in the light.

It went down, touching each fingertip, each little bit of him through her light.

Itachi bit back a scream when she moved up, checking his skull.

"Oh, hell." She frowned and looked visually, pulling her hands back and feeling his head.

"You have two injuries, both poisoned. This one has infected your brain. Why did you not seek a medic?"

"Because everyone here wants me dead?" Itachi responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sakura sighed as she looked at the tub. "Day, could you please?"

"Sure." He lifted the tub and walked out, surprising her.

He seemed cold. Maybe even angry.

He brought the tub back and she lifted it, going to work on his head.

It was a good hour that she kept the water in there, moving slowly around his head.

When she got to the front, Day and Sasuke both left the room.

Sakura barely noticed until she was straddling his lap. She looked down at his face, his eyes closed to keep himself from looking at her chest, which was just at eye level.

She looked back up quickly, getting back to work and doing her best to not notice the feeling of him beneath her as she moved across his lap.

After the water was pulled out and the skull repaired, she sat back on the bed and Day brought her another tub of water, surprising the others there.

"I know you burned your hands again. Here." Day sighed, looking at the beginning blisters across her fingertips.

"Thank you." She murmured as she doused her hands. "Itachi, please borrow an outfit from Day to wear. The clothing that you were wearing have been contaminated and could reinfect you."

"Oh." He murmured, moving his foot away from the cloth.

Day rolled his eyes and walked over, grabbing an outfit out of the dresser and handed it over. "You can keep it." He grumbled and Itachi nodded.

"Thank you. We'd better get going." He stood and dressed quickly, turning to the room only after he was completely dressed.

"Sakura, thank you. I didn't even realize I felt so badly."

"It's because your brain was infected."

"I think it still is." Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms.

Day turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Either way, do you actually have somewhere to go?"

"We do." Sasuke nodded and Sakura sighed, relieved.

"Good. Don't come back into the city during daylight hours. Only come and go at night. From now on, only come to the window. You're too visible in the hallway."

"Alright." Itachi nodded and Sakura sighed.

"Come back tomorrow. I need to check on you and we'll finish talking about the plans. I'll make up the fliers for the medic by then."

"Alright." Itachi stood and walked to the window.

Sakura looked up at him, her composure breaking.

Day's shirt had been black skin tight sleeveless shirts since he'd become Day, but to see it on Itachi was breathtaking.

She looked back down at the water and sighed. "See you the-" Her sentence unfinished, she fell face first into the water.

Day stepped over quickly, pulling her face up and turning her, removing his shirt to dry her face, keeping her head on his lap as he sat beside her.

"She overdid it again. She'll be fine in the morning." Day explained, leaving both Sasuke and Itachi staring.

"You had better be appreciative, brother." Sasuke murmured and Itachi nodded.

"I am. You're very lucky, Deidara."

"I know." Day sighed, running his fingers over her hair. "You'd better get going. The sun will be up soon, and Sakura won't forgive me if I keep you too long."

They both nodded softly before leaping from the window.

Day didn't like the looks she was giving the Uchiha. He didn't like the way he looked back at her either. He'd told her he had more faith in her, but he was worried. He would be a fool not to admit that.

And Sasuke seemed to feel the same way. They'd chatted while in the hallway. Sasuke seemed to be very uneasy at the closeness the two shared. This did nothing to settle his nerves.

"You still only love me, right?"

Sakura looked up at him through tired eyes. Her hand slowly lifted to his cheek, surprising him.

"I love only you, Day." She smiled softly as her eyes closed again and Day sighed, feeling oddly proud and happy at her reassurance.

"Thank you." He kissed her softly before getting them both ready for sleep.

The next evening came quickly. Sakura woke, making the fliers quickly that they were to meet in the clearing behind the village's town hall at sundown in three days. Sakura sent a notice to Tsunade, but wasn't sure she'd get it in time. She sighed as she walked into the clinic, the dark eyes of the doctor worrying her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, looking over the small woman opening the door at the time.

"I am. May I help you?" The woman slid on a smile and Sakura frowned. She knew that feeling. She used to have to do this all the time in Konoha.

"I'm here to help you. Please pass these out to your patients who are here on fearful terms." Sakura handed the fliers over to the woman who looked them over.

Her eyes widened as she realized what the papers were.

"You're- you're going to overthrow?"

"I feel that it's needed for this city to truly prosper. We have a few others with us that are in agreement, and we're working out a plan for that evening as we speak. Please, help us! We're going to try and find this man and punish him for doing this, and Shiromaru for punishing you instead of the one who really deserves it."

The woman looked at her with wide eyes, Sakura could hear her heart pounding. "Thank you!" She gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"You're one of the victims too, aren't you?"

"Almost every woman in town has been raped at least once. Many of them have gone through it multiple times. At least I only had to deal with it one time..." She blushed, looking down. Sakura leaned forwards and hugged the woman before her tears could show.

"You've been doing this all by yourself, taking care of so many people. I'm sure it's been hard on you. Please continue! The bit that you can do, it's returning some hope to the ones you're caring for."

"I know." The woman looked up at her with a smile and Sakura winced. Her smile was so sad, it was heart wrenching to know what she was dealing with, what she was going through. "I knew what would happen when I started this, but I can't just stop now. I'm needed too much."

Sakura patted her back. This was true strength.

Sakura walked home, watching as the sun started to set. She hurried, knowing that this city was horribly dangerous at night.

She walked through the door to the hotel and sighed, relieved.

Day turned to her with a frown and sighed. "You took too long. You worried me! It's not safe to be out at night time here!" He frowned and Sakura smiled at him.

"I'm sorry to worry you. The woman at the clinic let me in on a little information." She smiled and Day frowned, stepping forwards. Sakura smiled over his shoulder and Sasuke and Itachi, who were currently sitting on the bed by the headboard. "It seems someone finally got a look at the rapist."

Day and Itachi's eyes widened, Sasuke's remained the same. Sakura looked at him for a moment before returning her eyes to Day.

"He was all in black. He had black skin and hair. All she saw were glowing blue eyes." At this Itachi frowned, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"What have you done?"

"It wasn't me. You should know better." Sasuke frowned, looking up at his brother.

Sasuke stilled for a moment, Itachi freezing the same, the two locked eye in eye.

"Ah, that. If that's your best explanation, you better hope we catch someone before the meeting, or I'll be offering your head." Itachi frowned and Sasuke jumped up, his hands shaking with fury at his sides.

"Why would I do something like that? It's a horrible tragedy! I may not be the most social, but I'm not a monster!" He bit out and Sakura stared, wide eyed.

"You wouldn't, would you?" Sasuke turned to her with wide eyes, she stared right into his.

He flinched, so unused to the contact that he turned away, a slight blush crossing his cheeks. "Of course I wouldn't! I was married three years ago. My wife was raped. She killed herself because of it. Why in the hell would I inflict that sort of pain on someone else?"

"In an attempt to revive the clan. You already said you'd do anything, and at the rate this man is going, I'm willing to bet there would be quite a few pregnancies."

"And abortions. What in the hell would the point be then?" Sasuke looked up at Itachi who quieted, sitting back, but he wouldn't remove his eyes from his brother for the next while.

"Uh, I handed the fliers to the woman at the clinic. She said she would be happy to hand them out, as well as give some to a few of the other hidden clinics in the city. She said that it's not just the women, but quite a few of the men are furious as well. It seems that no one who works outside of the main building is happy with the way he's running things." Sakura frowned and looked over, watching Day for a response. She didn't get one quickly, so she continued.

"I say what we do is have the majority of the women gather in front of the building and try and burst their way in. While they're doing that, Shiromaru is the sort of coward who will hide in the building, probably at the highest level to keep from getting found."

"Why the top level?" Day asked, frowning, trying to figure out the logic.

"He'll want to stay as far away from the people out to get him as possible. We'll have to find him quickly, though, or he'll escape the building."

"I can prevent that." Sasuke murmured with gritted teeth and everyone turned to him, save Itachi, who never looked away.

"No, you can't. You're taking this too personally. You'll get yourself killed if you don't separate yourself from this." Itachi frowned and Sasuke sighed, looking away.

"I'll watch for his escape." Day frowned, looking at them. "With my jutsus, I'll be best suited for the long range combat. He won't escape directly at any of us, so we need someone who can not only get from one place to another quickly, but who can send a distraction as well as weapons across town quickly. I'm the only one who meets the criteria." Day looked between the three of them, finding no objections.

"Alright. With that settled, Here's the room we'll get in through. Once we get in, Sasuke, you head left, Itachi, head right ahead. I'll head to the left. I'll prepare rings, like the ones they had in the Akatsuki. If any of us find him, we focus our chakra into the rings and everyone will be alerted to his whereabouts. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." Sasuke murmured and Itachi gave a curt nod.

"Now that we have that out of the way, Itachi, take off your shirt." Sakura walked over to the bed and Itachi stared at her for a moment, confused.

"I told you last night that I'd have to check on you to see how you're doing today. Please remove your shirt."

"Hai..." Itachi resigned, undoing the clasp on his new cloak and taking off the shirt that Day had given to him the night before.

Sakura placed her hands between his shoulder blades and sighed, pushing her chakra into him, running through his bones, seeing the final amount of corrosion in the bone marrow, in the structure of his bones. He would heal, but he had to be in extreme pain.

She breathed in, changing the chakra that was already in him and Itachi's hair stood on end at the feeling.

Sasuke watched as his eyes widened to almost comic levels. His teeth bared as goose bumps broke out over his arms.

Sakura flowed the chakra into him and after a moment she frowned, stopping the flow of chakra.

"Are you alright? You heart is pounding!"

"I'm fine!" Itachi jumped up, quickly grasping the shirt near his waist.

"Your bones are quite eroded from the inside. I noticed a few other things while I was looking, I cleared a small blockage in a vein near your heart. It could have killed you." She sighed, glad she caught it when she did. "I also numbed your entire body, hence why you're having problems getting the shirt on." Sakura stared as he stopped struggling to grasp the shirt in a vain attempt to get it over his head. "Third, I need you to sit back. You may be uncomfortable with this, but it's the best way to help." Sakura murmured, a slight blush breaking across her cheeks and Day watched, not liking where this was going.

She helped pull him back a good foot, since he was having so much trouble moving on his own, and went around, straddling his lap again.

Day was about to protest, when she raised her hands, covering his eyes. His head was quickly covered in a deep red light, telling him that he needed to be quiet. Like everything else in nature, red things should not be distracted.

He reached out, getting Sasuke's attention and motioned him to remain quiet as well.

She worked for a good two hours, Day noticed that she was readjusting the power in her hands nearly nonstop. He knew she was going to pass out immediately after this. Keeping a steady flow was hard enough, but to keep fluctuating like this was about four times harder.

She worked hard, sweat covering her, breaking down to Itachi's chest after a few minutes. Itachi swallowed hard, doing his best to behave.

She pulled her hands back, looking him in the eyes. "Is that better?"

Her eyes were heavily lidded, with the beads of sweat all over her, her hands rested on his shoulders, a flush from the heat of the work causing a redness in her cheeks and Itachi just stared at her.

"This... It's..." Itachi looked around.

He could see? He looked over at Sasuke, who looked back confused for a minute.

"Oh my god, you fixed his eyes, didn't you?"

"Yup!" Sakura laughed before laying her head on Itachi's shoulder.

Day clenched his hands as Sakura turned her head to his neck.

"I'm glad for you." She smiled before his hands reached up, catching her from falling back.

He looked over at Day who was there in a second to lay her down.

"She's so dedicated..." Itachi spoke, getting his first chance to really look her over, not just through chakra points, but actually see her.

She was beautiful.

"We'd better head out."

"You'd better just stay here. Look." Day moved his eyes to the window, for the first time pointing out the light that was trying to break in.

"It's already morning..." Sasuke murmured and Itachi frowned.

He could barely keep himself sitting. He didn't want to admit it, but the work that she did on him strained him badly. It sucked every bit of strength he had.

His eyes barely stayed open as he looked at the window.

"Sakura doesn't want us out during..." Sasuke looked over at him just as he fell, falling to his side next to Sakura.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, and Day looked about the same.

"I see this being an issue. I'll go get the room next door. Please wait for me." Day frowned and Sasuke nodded.

Day frowned as he stormed back in a few minutes later, finding Sasuke leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, his eyes focused angrily on his brother.

"You really don't like him being this close to her, do you?"

"I don't. Don't get me wrong, as soon as this whole thing is done, I'll do my best to win her from you." Sasuke looked up at Day, his eyes narrowed. "She's always been a delicate flower. If you push her too far, she'll wilt."

Day smiled, looking at her. "You don't know her at all. If you push her too far, she'll break away the ground beneath your feet and leave you hanging, begging forgiveness. She doesn't wilt. She may seem to for a moment, but that one moment gives her the strength to take out anyone." Day grinned, knowing he was safe.

"Since they're already passed out, let's go to the other room. They'll need this time to recover anyway." Day sighed, turning and walking to the other room.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Yay! That's it for this chapter! There is one reason I'm going the romantic way with the two of them, and you'll understand in another few chapters.

Please remember to review! I'll see you tomorrow!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	13. Chapter 13

Okay! This is where things are going to get interesting! Mwahahaha! I love being evil!

(Voltaire- When you're evil. If you don't know it, youtube it! Seriously! XD)

Anyway, On with the show!

Disclaimer- There is no fanfiction. It's all in your head.

Chapter 13

Sakura woke halfway through the day. She looked over, seeing Day asleep beside her, his arm on his chest and she smiled. She hadn't really had much time to spend any alone with him lately. She heard the slight intake of his breath at her movement and she froze.

Something was wrong.

She leaned in, looking him in the eye and slowly his eye opened, looking at her.

It wasn't unusual for him to open one eye at a time when he woke, from being used to years of wearing the scope that was currently looking into his eye.

"Don't move." She reached down quickly, pulling out a kunai and pointed it at his throat.

Day's eyes shot open and narrowed quickly.

"What's wrong? Why are you pointing that at me?" She heard the words, but something still seemed off.

"Who are you?"

"How much does your work strain you? It's Itachi." He stared at her, confused and she just stared at him.

"Why do you have me in a genjutsu?"

"How would I put you into a genjutsu? You woke me up, remember?" He sat up and Sakura saw a quick flash, Itachi sitting beside her where she'd just seen Day.

"What in the hell..."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not seeing you. I'm seeing Day." Itachi turned to her, eyes wide. "I just woke up to see you there, but your sound was off." She stared at him and he blushed at the staring.

"Please don't stare, it's inappropriate..."

"You killed hundreds of people in your lifetime, but someone staring at you is inappropriate?" She stared and Itachi chuckled lightly.

"Good point. Let's see what's going on." He stood and Sakura just watched, the image shifting between Itachi and Day. She watched as the shirtless Day stood, his long black hair and red eyes turned to her.

She held up her hand, hiding her face.

"Is this image really so pleasing?" He asked, raising his eyebrow and Sakura held up her other hand quickly, healing. "Did you-"

"Shut up." She stood, sniffing, making sure the nosebleed was taken care of.

Itachi just stared for a moment. So many people were only worried about his past that they couldn't see him as a handsome man. It was odd, and to some degree uplifting.

He really hated Deidara right now.

But first he had to know why he looked like him, at least to her.

"Come on. Don't worry about your shirt." She grumbled, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Itachi looked around, praying that no one saw him dressed like this.

"Next door. There was a note." She grumbled and she threw open the door, walking in with Itachi in her hand. Day turned to her, his eyes hazy, but he froze, his eyes slowly opening.

"What in the hell..." He sat up quickly, waking Sasuke that had been on the other half of the bed.

Sasuke turned, seeing two Days, one looking like he was on the verge of tears in Sakura's hand, the other at the foot of the bed, his jaw dropped.

"What in the hell is the meaning of this?"

"That's what we want to know!" Sakura growled, walking over and grabbing Sasuke by the front of his haori, lifting him straight off the bed. "If it wasn't him, it was probably you!"

"Why in the hell would I do this? I already told Day my plan was to steal you away from him after this was over. Besides, you should already know it's not a sharingan technique, they don't work like this. I can make him look like Day to one person at a time, but not to a whole room. I'd have to break the technique on one before I could put it on someone else, I can't do it on a person for everyone else, but for one person for everything." Sasuke gritted out, trying to pry her hand from his shirt without success. She frowned, knowing his words were right. She put him down on the bed and sighed, looking back.

"For the time being, I guess we'll have to deal with this. It may work to our advantage, anyway." Sakura frowned, looking, scheming. She grinned and Itachi paled, seeing the gears forming in her head.

"Sasuke, how do you do with dresses?"

"WHAT?"

It was that afternoon that there was a knock at Shiromaru's door. "Come in." He murmured and looked up, seeing Sakura and a very distressed Day walk in.

"I've heard a few rumors around town and I would like to get your side of the story." Sakura walked in and Day frowned, trying his best to keep his eyes from the man before him. He really wanted to sharingan him into oblivion.

Something made it's way into his head and as Sakura turned to him in the middle of some exasperated rant and smiled with wide eyes.

Itachi looked her in the eye and she turned back to Shiromaru, continuing.

Itachi stared, his eyes wide.

He was useless? He started to slightly panic as Sakura mentioned the rape victims. Her hand reached back, grasping his hip as a force of habit, slightly forgetting who it was with her.

She grasped his hand and pulled it over her shoulder as she mentioned what Day would have to do with the city if she were to be raped.

Itachi nodded, doing his best to keep his composure as his hand slid over her chest and he raised his hand, trying to slow the blood flow to his nose before it started to bleed.

"You're not saying anything on this, Day?"

"It's not my place. Being raped is a horrible situation, and in my opinion, he should be found, bound and gagged and handed to his victims to go through whatever torture they decide for him. If she were to be raped, If Sakura-san were to have to go through such atrocities, I would personally deem it as a failure in you taking care of your responsibilities. If the rapist is not found, I would choose your head til his is found." Itachi's eyes narrowed and Sakura looked up at him surprised, noticing that he wasn't speaking on behalf of Day, but on his own.

She stared for a second, releasing his hand, realizing the inappropriate situation and turned her hands to her sides, blushing terribly.

Shiromaru noticed the change in atmosphere and grinned.

"To let you know, we've already found out who it is." Sakura looked at him with wide eyes, surprised to hear such words. "I doubt you haven't heard of him. His name is Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura stared at him, surprised for a moment before something dawned on her. When she first met Shiromaru, he mentioned her being under the tutelage of Kakashi. She greatly doubted he would know this about her, but not about Sasuke. She knew then that he was baiting her.

"Uchiha Sasuke is already dead. Day killed him this morning. That was the true purpose behind the mission to come here, so I'm glad it was taken care of so quickly. Unfortunately, his body was already retrieved for disposal. I can't offer it as a token to you." Sakura bowed, watching his face.

He knew that she was lying and she smiled due to it.

"If this is the situation, I'll be on my way." She turned and Shiromaru stood.

"Sakura, you know that this is not Day here with you, don't you?"

"I do. That is not of your concern, though. What you need to be concerned about is what's happening to this city. It's a nightmare, and we are holding you responsible for it's care and upbringing. You are to blame for this travesty." Sakura's eyes narrowed at the man who stood and stepped forwards, gritting his teeth.

"Who do you think you are, saying such things? What do you think you have the ability to do about taking care of this village? If you think you can do a better job, I'll give it over! I'll give you this city right now if you think you can bring this city to greatness!"

"Then I'll happily take it. I doubt there's anything I can do that can make this city any worse than it is now." Sakura stared at him, wondering what he would do next.

She was surprised when he pulled out a paper and started writing.

'Please call a conference as soon as possible'

"You want it, you can have it. I've been doing this job with the torment of Konoha as well as the degenerates from Taki coming in. Believe me when I say this job is more difficult than you'd think. I may decide to stay in the Sunshine Village until you change your mind!" She stared at him, surprised to see this response.

She knew that if this was it, if Shiromaru was going back to Sunshine Village, she'd have to send Day home.

She'd stay here with the Uchiha brothers.

She frowned at the thought.

She nodded. "I'll go inform Day about what's happening. I'll return shortly." She walked out, seeing Itachi staring at her with wide eyes.

"Are you okay with this? You'll be split apart from Day."

"I know. I may have to be apart from Day til someone more suitable is found, but it's better for me to suffer than to allow everyone else here to suffer." She sighed and looked across at the inn.

She walked into the room and frowned.

"We all need to talk."

It was nearly an hour that they were in the hall. Sasuke was gone, alone in the woods while Day, 'Day' and Sakura were facing off with Shiromaru.

"Due to the worries of my wife, if you head to the Sunshine village, I'll be returning with you."

"I'll only hand the village over to her. If she returns to the Sunshine village, the deal's off."

"I'll be staying. My son needs his father. I would rather me suffer than everyone here due to my selfishness." She looked at Shiromaru, who for a moment stalled.

"You'd give him up for this village?"

"Without a thought." Sakura answered quickly, her eyes wide, showing her sincerity.

"Maybe you really are meant for this job instead of me. We have a hall downstairs, they're waiting for us."

Sakura sighed and looked back at Day before smiling sadly.

"I'm sorry."

"You wouldn't be you if you would let such an opportunity pass. You should know that I still love you." Sakura looked at him, her eyes wide. With the tone he said that in, she knew what was going to happen.

But she still was going to save this village.

She held her head tall, keeping the tears from her eyes as she walked down the hallway.

"You're stronger than I am." She heard Itachi speak softly behind her. She ignored the sound, feeling as this was the walk to the execution chamber.

She breathed deeply, allowing her chest to gather all of the tension in her.

She tried to gather all her courage in her head and all of her fear into her chest and blow it all out.

She walked into the room, all of the council surrounding her.

She hadn't realized there was such a thing.

"I'm handing control of this village to Sakura Night. Later! I quit!" He grinned as he walked away, waving over his shoulder.

"There's this many people in control of this city and it's still this terrible? You're all fired!" She screamed, immediately the people in the room jumped up, yelling in response.

She grinned, awaiting the battle between the fifteen of them and the two that stood beside her.

She already knew that they would win, especially when she saw the sharingan eye shining in the corner. Sasuke had come back, worried about them.

It was only two hours when Sakura walked into her new office.

She looked around, sighing. She would be staying here. She'd already sent the notice to Konoha, letting them know that she still needed their assistance, but now it was primarily to assist with keeping the peace till the city was completely under control.

She would be remaking the village in the image of Konoha.

Day looked at her and Itachi and Sasuke stepped out. They would be staying in the second room that night. Sakura would be spending her last night with her husband.

She smiled up at him, tears starting to stream down her face.

"I don't want you to wait for me."

"What?" Sakura looked at him, surprised.

"There's no saying how long this will be. It's pointless for us to make everyone else happy, but not even try for ourselves. I'm not saying forever, I want you to come home eventually, but in the meantime, I want you to see other people." Day's tone was dull, his eyes bored.

"Why would you say these things? I don't want to date others!"

"I've seen the way you've been looking at Itachi. I'm willing to bet that you would have taken him this morning if you didn't notice the sound of his heart beating." Sakura stared, her eyes widening.

"You're the one who did this..."

"I am." Day sighed. "I wanted to know if you would really look to make sure it was me. As much as I spoke the other day, I couldn't bring myself to trust you." Sakura stared at him, tears dripping down her throat, starting to saturate her shirt.

"I see..."

"I'll head out now. I won't keep you. Have fun til you come back. After you return to me, you better believe I will never let you go again. Screw any other villages."

"That's more like it." She smiled, unable to stop the tears from flowing. "You better believe that it won't be that long til I talk Kakashi into taking control."

"You know you won't do that. Not only will he refuse, but you wouldn't let him fail and blame himself. You will do your best to make sure things are taken care of. Knowing you, you won't allow anyone else to take control of this village until after you've fixed it. This is why I love you, as well as why I'm letting you go."

Sakura held her head low. She knew that it was painful, but she also stated that she would sacrifice herself for the people that lived here if needed.

She nodded. That was all she could do.

"I'll be back as soon as possible. Please, just don't grow to love someone else more than me."

"I never would. You know that." Day stepped forwards, kissing her softly.

He stood there and watched her while she signed the initial paperwork, officially taking over as the City's leader.

This city did have a name, but with the leader and the image that this city had, she decided that changing the name would help to show the change in the rest of the village that was about to happen.

The city of Night.

She turned, walking to the hotel.

Day stood behind her the whole way. As much as his words hurt her, it was killing him. He was going to keep his eyes on her, watch her nonstop til it was time to go.

They got to the room and Day looked at her, his eyes wide. He stepped forwards, wiping the tears from her eyes. They had never stopped.

She looked up at him and he leaned his head down to hers, kissing her softly as he reached down, grasping her shirt and slid it up, breaking the kiss to pull it over her head. He looked at her for a moment, the way the light from the window shone so softly off of her chest.

He reached down, pulling up his own shirt and pulled down his pants, kicking them to the side. He watched as she moved her hand to her hip, unclasping the skirt she wore and sliding off the shorts.

She looked up at him, her body shining in the moonlight and her eyes showing the pain that she was going through.

Day looked at her, taking the step to her and pressed his body to hers, the feeling of her skin, the way her lips pressed to his, he tried to imprint it all to his memory.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his neck and shoulder as he ran his hands up her back, feeling her skin and he sighed.

She felt so soft! He opened his eyes, unable to keep them dry as he held her close.

He picked her up and carried her to the bed, kissing her at least once per step and laid her down, laying beside her.

He kissed her deeply, she kissed back, pressing herself up into him.

He slowly moved his hand up her skin, feeling the softness, the warmth of her as she laid there, watching him carefully.

He watched as she reached up to him, wrapping his arms around her neck. "Please, don't make me wait. We don't have enough time." She begged and Day nodded.

He understood what she meant.

He hated that even more, seeing as since they had so little time he wanted to spend more time like this.

He moved above her, kissing her softly before moving his hips ever so slightly, pushing into her.

Sakura gasped, feeling him filling her, and closed her eyes, falling into the feeling of him.

How could this end?

She felt the tears down her face fall harder, her lungs full, her heart pounding and aching horribly.

He kissed her again, barely moving, just enjoying the feeling of her. She kissed across his shoulder, up his neck and he surrounded her in his arms.

He didn't want to move. He didn't want to finish. He didn't want it to end.

He laid there, just holding onto her, feeling her envelope him.

By the time morning came they hadn't moved, they just laid there surrounding each other, tears flowing freely from them both.

The next morning was hell.

Sakura dressed, watching as he pulled on his shirt, scared that it might be the last time. If it did take years to complete, then there was a good chance he would find someone else.

She was well aware that Matsu had been in love with him for years.

She stared, her eyes red, her arms and legs weary from the long, sleepless night.

He turned to her, pulling his hair up as he'd done so much in the past few years. Sakura had allowed him to come to peace with his past, and she enjoyed the look.

"Are you ready for this?" He watched as her shoulders shook, trying as hard as possible to break free from the sob that was threatening to erupt from her throat.

"No." She answered honestly, causing him to turn away from her again, his hands covering his eyes.

He wanted to be strong. He wanted to give her the strength he knew she was lacking at the moment.

He didn't want her to cry. He wanted the last time he'd see her for who knows how long to be full of smiles.

"Let's go."

The five of them met up at the border of town. Shiromaru frowned, his arms crossed at being taken by an escort. He didn't like the thought that Day would be keeping an eye on him like this, and that made Sakura worried. She'd already told Day to keep a close eye on him.

Sasuke grinned at him and Shiromaru's eyes widened.

"You said-"

"I lie." Sakura grinned, letting Shiromaru know exactly where he stood.

"I heard you fired then beat up the whole council yesterday. I'll admit, I never had the courage. You're either going to be a great leader, or you'll come get me in a week."

"I'll never allow someone who didn't have enough courage to stop children from starving and women from being raped to take control of this city again. You'll do well to remember that here in the City of Night we're stepping into the sunlight." She answered softly, Shiromaru staring at her.

He turned and waited, no longer wanting to be in this situation at all.

Day hugged Sakura close, feeling the skin on her arms shiver at his touch.

"Please, take care of yourself. I know how you are, and I know you have a tendency to forget. Itachi." He turned, his eyes narrowing. "I've informed her that she's single while I'm gone, but I didn't do it just to keep her happy. I want you to protect her. Watch her and make sure she's safe, not only from the city, but from herself."

Itachi looked at him with wide eyes, ignoring the fury that was almost a visible aura around his brother.

"I promise you." Itachi bowed low, letting Day know that he'd meant it honestly.

"I'll make sure Dei comes to visit." He turned, waving over his shoulder.

The true purpose wasn't to break it off fast, to end it cleanly, but to hide the tears that were seeping into the corners of his eyes.

Sakura fell to the ground, unable to stop the racking sobs as they broke free.

Itachi sighed, and bent down, lifting her from the ground carefully. Sasuke turned and was about to yell at his brother for getting in his way before he saw the look in his eyes.

Sasuke stilled, watching with wide eyes before he huffed, turned and walked to Day's side. He wasn't going to watch this, but he knew that instant that he couldn't stop it either.

Itachi really cared about her and if he tried to interfere he knew that it would only end out with pain.

He'd rather suffer with Day than watch the start of this romance.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Okay! Sorry this one was so sappy, but it needed to be done. If you just watched the love of your life walk away, you would know this pain. It sucks, but it happens.

There is more to come! It's not over yet! Two more chapters, I think! Woot!

Therefore, I'll see you all next time!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	14. Chapter 14

I'm back! Ready for another lemon? This one will be a little more in depth. I wanted to focus on the sentimental aspect of the last chapter. Sorry if you thought it was wrong!

Anyway, I'll get right to it!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- omgomgomgomg! My dream, a three way with Day and Itachi! _Drool_

Chapter 14

It had been six months since Day left. Sakura had not seen him once. She had heard that he'd gotten into a relationship with Matsu, but she knew that the instant Sakura came back it would be over.

The problem is, after six months away from him, she wondered if he would actually keep that promise to her. She knew how he had a tendency of pouring his heart into everything. She frowned as she went over the paperwork.

"Everything alright?" Itachi looked at her, his eyes bored and she turned to him with a smile.

"Just thinking." She sighed, looking back down at the papers.

"About him, un?" Itachi's eyes downcast and Sakura nodded.

"I think it's time I give up on him. I know that I won't be done here for years. He's gotten on with his life. Dei told me yesterday that Matsu is pregnant." She sighed and Itachi turned to her wide eyed.

"What?"

Sakura didn't respond, she just sat there, her pen in her hand, staring blankly at the paper before her.

"Take the rest of the day off. I'm sure Kaori will be more than happy to fill in." Itachi smiled softly and Sakura nodded.

"That may be best." She stood.

In the last six months Sakura never turned her attention away from Day. She never admitted to herself that it was over, but still, Itachi stood by her side always.

He was taking his promise to Day seriously. Sakura had never told him that Day was with Matsu in the first place. Not that she was hiding it, but she didn't want him to worry about her any more than he already was. He took care of her nonstop, sleeping in the same bed with her every night since he'd left. When she woke crying he was always there to dry her tears. When she was walking through the city one day and someone tried to mug her she ended out calling the security from the city to keep him safe, as he was trying to kill himself from the images that Itachi put in his head.

She turned to him. Maybe it was time to let him in.

She knew that she had feelings for him. She knew that to some degree it was love, but she could never get it through her head to let the memory of Day die in her mind.

Itachi stood, taking her arm and leading her around the table.

"I'm alright." She sighed, and Itachi frowned.

"No, you're not." His tone was cold, the tone he always used when he wasn't giving her a choice.

Kaori had transferred to the city a few days after Day returned. He knew that she would need someone in office that she could trust.

He hadn't realized how right it was.

She looked at him and Kaori frowned.

"You heard, didn't you?"

Sakura just smiled sadly and Kaori nodded.

"Take as much time to come back as you need. I'll make sure everything is running smoothly." He nodded and Sakura turned, barely even meeting his eye.

She sighed as she leaned back in the corner of the small cafe. It was a good place to quietly reflect, and the chai wasn't bad. She slowly sipped, looking across the table at Itachi who was looking around, seeing the same things he saw each time they went here.

"Can I ask you a question? I need you to answer honestly." Itachi turned to her, his eyes barely showing curiosity.

"After dealing with me, my crying and depression, not showing any interest in men, do you still want to be with me, or are you just keeping your promise?"

"I don't do anything I don't want. If I'd made that promise and you were unbearable, I would have left a long time ago. I care about you enough to make sure not to leave you alone. I'm staying with you because I want to make sure you're alright."

Sakura watched him as he sipped his tea, not bringing his eyes to meet hers. He sighed as he took a long sip, breathing out after to cool his mouth.

Sakura just stared for a moment, watching the way his hair shifted every time the door opened. Watching how the muscles in his neck seemed to relax. Sakura smiled softly, finally catching his eye.

He watched her for a moment before turning back to his cup.

"You seem quiet today." Sakura stated softly and Itachi turned back to her, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know of anything I can say to make you feel better." He just glanced at her for a moment before returning to the tea.

Sakura sighed. She already knew he didn't know how to handle social situations very well. He'd been out on his own, to the point of avoiding major cities and such for so many years that living in a major village, stopping into shops and chaperoning the city's leader was way too odd for him. It would take a while, but he would adjust.

Or he'd just snap and kill everyone.

She imagined him covered from head to toe in blood, dead bodies piled up to his knees, and he just looked around surprised for a moment. "I'm sorry..."

She giggled as she looked up, realizing he'd actually spoken. "I really have no idea what to do here. It's odd to be taking you around to get over him." Itachi looked at her and she noticed the hint of sadness that showed in his eye.

It was the only place he allowed himself to show things like that, she imagined because everyone else was still so afraid to look at that area.

She stood up and sighed. "So, today's a date."

"A date?" Itachi jumped up, surprised.

"A date!" Sakura grinned. Today she would get over him. Today things would change for her.

She grabbed Itachi by the arm and took him out, hitting all of the major date spots.

She leaned against his shoulder, looking down from the trees at the sun that slowly lowered behind the world. She felt the warmth that radiated from him and she sighed, looking up at him.

"Sakura Night?" She looked down surprised, seeing a child looking up at her. She started to jump down when Itachi caught her, keeping her on the branch.

"Smell." Sakura looked up at Itachi, but smelled the air.

Blasting powder? She looked down at the little girl who looked absolutely terrified.

"No..." Sakura watched, trying to figure this out while three grown men stepped up behind the girl, grinning.

"You were supposed to come down and get blown up like a good little girl." The foremost one grinned and Sakura looked at him.

"You're related to Shiromaru." She stated loudly. She couldn't forgive him this one.

Before she had a chance to go down, Itachi bound down. Sakura noticed one of the men fall to his knees screaming while the one beside him looked over, just in time for the silver haired man in front to get a mouth full of shoe. Itachi grasped his arm and swung him around, plowing him around and through the other man who was now just staring. Itachi turned to Sakura and she saw him in her mind. "I'm keeping the distracted. Try and save the girl."

Sakura crept from the trees, motioning for the girl to keep quiet.

Sakura looked over as Itachi's hand slid ever so slightly, encasing the man in the back's throat and he clenched slightly, watching as his eyes widened, stilled and slowly started to relax.

Itachi was pissed.

He turned to Shiromaru's relative and grabbed his throat, lifting him from the ground. The man threw his foot out, catching Itachi's side and Itachi winced slightly at the pain as blood splattered a good foot away. The man reached for his throat, a kunai in his hand and Sakura was about to yell when Itachi dropped him back, the man stumbled into a tree.

Itachi looked at the man and he stilled for a split second. Sakura wasn't sure if he was in a genjutsu or had just pissed himself.

Turns out it was both.

He stumbled back, his hands raising to his face, tears and screams both erupting from him.

"Itachi?" Itachi looked at the man who returned his eyes to the tall man before him, grasping all over his body and Sakura smiled. He was still feeling from the pain that Itachi had put him through in the genjutsu. "Itachi, back away from him."

Sakura called and Itachi took a few steps back.

"Take a few more steps back." Sakura watched and Itachi realized what was happening.

He jumped back, almost directly before Sakura and the man looked over, seeing Sakura and the child together. For a split second he looked insanely happy.

Sakura watched the confusion in his eyes as the slight flicker started around him. He'd not realized what she'd done either. Itachi stepped in front of her as the blast happened, protecting both her and the girl from the massive explosion. Sakura looked up, seeing Itachi's angered expression over her shoulder. He'd wrapped himself around her. "Are you alright?"

He looked down at her and she just stared at him.

She knew he was in pain from his side, and she knew he'd gotten the shrapnel from the explosion and the only thing he thought about was her. She stared for a moment, releasing the girl that she'd been protecting, who thanked them quickly before running home.

Sakura just looked up at him, both scared and nearly dizzy from him.

"Let's get you home." Sakura mustered up the breath to say and Itachi stood, nodding.

They'd been given their own house when they'd taken over so they didn't worry about anyone being around when they walked in. Itachi stripped off his shirt and Sakura walked around him, looking over the injuries. He'd been impaled my probably a hundred little flecks of wood. She made him take off his pants and was happy to find only a few small injuries, but one large chunk of wood was stuck in his calf. She sighed as she turned from the room.

She got a small tub of water and walked out, cleaning his back before his leg. She started on the largest injury and painlessly pulled the wood from him. He looked down, surprised by the skill it took to do this. She healed the injury, kissing it softly after. Itachi's arms broke out in goose bumps, despite the warm air. She moved up, pulling the splinter from his hip, healing and kissing the area. She slowly worked her way up his back.

Itachi was completely surrounded in the sensation. Her lips against his skin was more than he thought he would be able to deal with. She'd done so little, but it was already too much and Itachi covered his lap, hiding the effects of her kisses.

She walked around him, looking at the injury on his side. She snaked herself around so that she was sitting on his lap. She knew that the majority of the injury was there.

She wasn't prepared for the look on Itachi's face.

His breath was shallow. His face was red from the blush and his eyes wouldn't meet hers. He was so beautiful like this...

She leaned her head down and kissed him softly.

Itachi just stared at her, wide eyed, honestly surprised at the contact. Her hands slid up his chest to his neck and Itachi tried to keep his head from lulling back. Sakura reached her hands back, gripping his hair and pulled him harder to her, kissing him deeply, more passionately than she even thought possible.

She felt his hands slowly inch up her back and smiled, breaking the kiss.

She reached down and grasped, yanking her shirt over her head. Itachi watched, surprised at the total change in personality in a few hours.

He prayed that she wasn't just doing this in depression.

"Sakura, don't push yourself! It's too soon!"

"It's been too long." Sakura smiled, the meaning missing Itachi for a moment.

He chuckled and nodded.

"You were already tired of being alone. You were starting to get over him when you got the message, weren't you?"

Sakura smiled softly and nodded. "It's time for me to live my life and get over my past. Chances are I'll be here for years. I may never leave this city after I get it running. I can't wait forever for a memory. You saved me." She curled up in his arms, his fingertips coming into contact with her bare back. Itachi gasped at the feeling.

"You planned that out and saved me from them. I owe you my life." She sighed and leaned in, running her hands up his chest, causing another gasp from him. "I'm glad the one I owe is you." She looked up with wide eyes and Itachi didn't see a glimpse of sadness or regret.

He just stared.

That dark cloud that had followed her for so long was gone. Her eyes shone with light and Itachi was so happy to be able to see it.

She reached up again, pressing her lips to his and he surrounded her with his arms. Sakura tried to move her body closer to his, but ended out rubbing against the part of him that he'd tried to cover.

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment before she blushed.

"I thought this was what you wanted." Itachi responded, his arrogant cockiness tone dripping with satisfaction at catching her off guard.

Itachi pushed her back to the bed, slowly pulling her pants from her. He looked over her body, the blush that seemed to go down her throat, the pink hair that slightly covered her left eye, where the scope used to be. Itachi's smile faltered for just a moment.

She'd returned it to him a month after he'd left. He'd never seen her so broken up as she was then.

He looked her in the eye, his eagerness turning quickly to tormented longing and Sakura smiled at him.

"Please don't look like that. You'll give me the wrong idea." She pushed out through heaving lungs and Itachi's eyes cast down, looking her over again.

He ran his hands up her body, starting at her hips, taking special care when he reached her chest.

She gasped, pressing her head into the pillow as his tongue worked a small circle on the tender, soft skin there.

She was surprised when instead of raising his head to kiss her, he lowered his head.

She was confused for a moment before his head made it's way to her hip.

She felt herself tighten, the feeling of his skin against hers was amazing, but nothing could have prepared her for what he'd do next.

Itachi kissed her gently and Sakura gasped, her eyes wide, her head pressing into the pillow. He knew what to do to drive her mad! He slowly moved his tongue over her and she almost instantly screamed.

It was only a few moments til Sakura felt herself tighten, like the world around her was about to crack.

Itachi stopped his actions, causing a disappointed sigh from Sakura as he kissed up her body, finally reaching her face, looking her eye to eye.

"Is this what you want? Do you want me to take you like this?"

"I do." She blushed terribly. She wasn't used to speech in times like this, and it was horribly embarrassing. Itachi smiled and leaned down, kissing her softly before pushing against her. The feeling of him sliding over her was almost enough to send her over, but with the second push he filled her up.

Sakura pressed her head down against the pillow hard and gasped, her body not used to this anymore.

Even if she had been used to the action, she wouldn't have been used to the size.

A wave of ecstatic pain washed over her and Itachi stilled. "Are you okay?"

"Don't move so much! I'm already too close!" She gasped and Itachi stared at her with wide eyes. He chuckled at her softly and she looked up, her pink hair splayed out around her like a halo, her deep blush and wide, surprised eyes looking back at him. He could feel her breath brush against his chest and he lost himself to her.

He leaned down and kissed her, starting to move his hips. As Sakura broke the kiss, throwing her head up, Itachi leaned his head down, kissing ever so softly across her neck and shoulder, his arms wrapped under her shoulders. He pushed into her harder, faster by each moment. It was only a second till he felt her small body rack beneath his, and he smiled at himself.

Day really didn't treat her well in this aspect.

He would show her what it meant to go all night.

As Itachi felt himself grow closer, feeling her crushing his member so tightly, he was struggling to keep from going already.

He pressed harder and harder, his breath matching the movement, beads of sweat breaking out across his chest, giving him an angelic light and Sakura clenched around him, screaming.

Itachi heard her voice, her nails dig into his arms and smiled at himself.

"Itachi! Oh my- Oh!" She started to rack again already and Itachi smiled, knowing that it wouldn't be much longer.

He couldn't control his power or speed anymore by now and was pounding so hard into her that she wasn't barely even able to scream anymore. She was working just to get air into her lungs.

Her sounds couldn't betray the feeling of the rest of her as her nails again dug into his arms. He felt her clench around him and it was just too much.

Itachi's gasp quickly turned into a light yell as he pressed into her as far as he could. He could feel himself filling her, each little spasm from each of them seemed to force him to fill her more. He couldn't stop moving, though and Sakura gasped for air, already so tired.

Itachi leaned down and kissed her, looking him in the eye, still feeling her wrap around his hardness, that wasn't going down.

"Are you ready for more?" He grinned and Sakura looked up at him surprised before gasping, both entranced as well as horrified.

"Again?"

"As many times as it takes to make you smile like that again." He said softly and Sakura just stared.

He was so rough with her! He was so... big! She started to laugh at her own response and was surprised when Itachi gasped at the feeling.

She smiled, knowing that she wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon.

And she was fine with it.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

Okay all! One more chapter, a few more plot twists, but nothing too major. I can't end this like this, and everyone who knows my stories knows why. I need to have a certain element when I end a story.

Yes, the last chapter will be the last one.

I hope to see you all there tomorrow!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


	15. Chapter 15

Alright! Now for the last chapter! I'll admit, it's a little bit of a sad ending for me, because I don't like breaking hearts, but I think the ending I have is the best one possible.

I hope you all enjoy!

On with the show!

Disclaimer- Love is such sweet sorrow

Chapter 15

It was the beginning of spring. It was warm enough that the jackets they wore weren't really necessary, but it was chilly enough that they weren't going to take them off either. Sakura looked at the raven hair beside her and smiled softly.

This was going to be very hard.

She walked into the village, checking into the inn. The woman behind the counter nearly cried at seeing Sakura's face.

"It's been years! How are you?"

"I'm well. It was finally time to come home." She smiled and the woman at the counter looked beside her, her eyes widening.

"Oh."

Sakura sighed and nodded. "It's been a while." The woman nodded, knowing she'd know the story in a day or two and handed her the keys.

They went into the room and unpacked, Sakura sighing as she looked out the window.

"Mommy, it's so small here."

"I know." Sakura murmured, rubbing the head of the small girl.

"You said that someone was here that used to know Daddy."

"It's your uncle." Sakura sat up, grasping to the small girl and held her carefully on her lap. "He probably doesn't know about you. You're going to be a surprise." Sakura smiled and the girl looked up at him.

"You're giving me to my uncle as a surprise?"

"No!" Sakura laughed rubbing the girl's hair.

"Come on. Let's go out and meet people. There's so many people here I want to introduce you to."

"Do I get to meet my brother?"

"No. He's living with Uncle Naruto."

"In Konoha. He's gonna be a ninja, right Mommy?"

"Right." Sakura smiled as she stood, taking the child's hand in hers.

They walked down to the main road and Sakura smiled. The small Sunshine Village had grown massively since she'd left. It was at least twice the size it had been all those years ago.

She stopped after a few steps and stared ahead with a smile.

"Oh my god! Sakura!" The woman before her ran forwards with a sad smile.

"Look at you! You haven't changed at all!" Matsu had tears in her eyes and Sakura smiled, looking at her. In the five years since she'd left Matsu's hair had grown longer, but was nearly completely silver. Sakura covered her mouth with her hand, trying to keep from crying.

""Matsu, this is Tama." Matsu looked down at the small girl beside Sakura and her eyes widened.

"She's his, isn't she?"

"She is." Sakura smiled and Matsu looked down, getting to eye level with the girl.

"I'm your aunt Matsu! I'll be keeping an eye on you! I hope your not as much trouble as your brother!" She grinned and Sakura shook her head.

"She's just like her father. She's quiet and careful. She doesn't cause barely any trouble, but when she does it's massive."

"Mommy!" the girl looked up, her eyes wide.

"She has your eyes." Sakura looked down at the girl, smiling.

She had a child that had at least one of her features.

She heard the silence grow behind her and turned, seeing Sasuke stare at her with wide eyes.

"Sakura?"

"Hello, Sasuke." She stared and Tama looked at him with wide eyes.

"Is this my uncle?" Sasuke looked down at the girl, his eyes widening. He knew instantly who she was.

"He is. He's your father's brother. We were team mates when we were kids."

"That was so long ago." Sasuke smiled softly, looking at the girl before him.

"It's been too long." Sakura smiled, doing her best again to keep the tears from forming in her eyes.

Sasuke stepped forwards and hugged her close, pulling her head to his shoulder.

"I heard what happened. I won't leave, I promise. I know you're not here for me, but if you need me, I'll be here."

"Thank you." Sakura sniffed, getting her emotions back in check.

"Alright! It's time to give you the tour!"

"And you. This whole city is different. I can't let my niece get lost here!" Sasuke grinned and bent down, looking the girl in the eyes.

His sharingan looked into her eyes and she turned to Sakura pointing.

"His eyes are like Daddy's."

"And yours if you get mad." Sakura grinned and Sasuke looked at her looking her over.

"How old is she?" His tone caught Sakura's attention and she smiled.

"She'll be four in a month."

"How long has she had the sharingan?"

"About six months." Sakura smiled and Sasuke frowned.

"You're going to be trouble. You're too small to be able to pull a sharingan off."

Sasuke froze and Sakura giggled as he leaped to his feet a second later.

"She really does... That was so weird!" Sasuke shivered and Sakura smiled. She may be a great ninja before she's four, but she was still sweet and innocent. She was willing to bet that Sasuke was surrounded by flowers or teddy bears.

"How would you like me to take you on a tour, just the two of us?" Sasuke smiled and Tama looked at Sakura, who's eyes were ahead, wide open.

"Go ahead. You have fun." Sakura turned back to her for a second with a smile and Tama knew her mother was distracted.

"Okay!" The girl grinned and Matsu followed along.

Sakura smiled at that point realizing what was happening.

She turned again, looking as the blonde hair she'd seen in her dreams whipped over his shoulder, his eyes wide on her.

"Is your mission done?" He asked softly and Sakura nodded.

"The City of Night is peaceful, it's under the control of the Hyuuga clan members. It will prosper more in the next few years than I was able to offer it." She smiled sadly and Day reached out to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"They wouldn't have been able to prosper if it hadn't been for you."

"I know." Sakura nearly cried. She wrapped her arms around him and just stood there.

"But you can't fix something completely if you're broken yourself." Sakura looked him in the eye and Day smiled at her sadly.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back. There was too much to do here. After Shiromaru's execution we had a flow of members from the City of Night here."

"I know." Sakura stepped back and Day knew there was something he didn't know.

"Where is Itachi?"

"He left." Sakura smiled and Day frowned.

"He made you walk back on your own?"

"He left years ago. He only stuck around for six months. The first night we were together, I woke the next day and he was gone." Sakura smiled and Day's eyes widened.

"You've been alone all this time?"

"No. Itachi gave me someone else when he left." Sakura smiled and Day's eyes widened.

"Sakura..."

"Her name is Tama. She's going to be four next month. She's off taking a tour with her Uncle Sasuke." Sakura smiled and Day frowned, his hands clenched at his sides.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have come back."

"Because I knew you would come back. As much as I had things to do there, you had things to do here. How long were Sasuke and Matsu an item?" She turned and looked down the path that the three had gone down and Day smiled.

"Well, my relationship with Matsu was about the same as yours and Itachi's. It only lasted a moment. I know Dei told you that she was pregnant, but it was Sasuke's. I almost panicked when I realized what you would have thought, but I figured it was for the better. It would get you to move on with your live. I honestly didn't think you would come back."

"So, have you... been well?"

"As well as can be expected for someone who has been trapped in the past. As much as I tried, I could never get over you."

Sakura gasped, the tears stuck in her throat finally breaking free.

"What's wrong?" Day asked and she shook her head.

"I finally feel like I'm home!" She cried and Day looked at her surprised for a moment before smiling.

"So, if you're not against it, If it's alright with you, can you come home? I'll never leave again. I'll always be by your side. I'll take care of Tama as if she were my own."

Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You'd still want me? After all this time, knowing I've had a daughter of someone else, you'd still want me?"

"I promised you, and I did so for a reason. When I told you I loved you, every time I'd meant it. I knew when I asked you to marry me that I would never fall out of love with you. I knew that I'd always want you with me. I don't care if she's Itachi's. If she didn't even know him then it's just as well that I'm here. I'll be her father. I'll take care of both of you." Sakura nodded, crushing him in her hug.

Day looked at her with sad smile.

"We missed so much time!"

"It's been five years since I saw you. I never would have thought..." She looked up at him, brushing her fingers against his jaw, the same way he always would do to her. Day closed his eyes, lost to the feeling.

"Sakura, let's go home." Sakura smiled at him and nodded.

oooooOOOOOXXXXXOOOOOooooo

It had been a year since they'd gotten back. Sakura smiled and watched as Dei and Tama talked, Sakura worried. In a few months she'd be leaving her. Tama, her little girl would be leaving to go to Konoha and become a ninja with her brother.

They looked absolutely nothing alike.

Kakashi sat at the side of the table, watching, and Sakura could feel the fear radiate from him.

"Seriously, Sakura. Two children, each by a different S-rank criminal. You're lucky Tsunade hasn't sterilized you." Sakura laughed and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Naruto leaned against the table with a frown on his face, not happy about the way Kakashi was talking about Sakura's abilities to change people. "They're not S-rank criminals anymore. Sakura fixed that." He looked over at Kakashi and they both stilled for a moment before turning down to Tama, who giggled hysterically as Kakashi threw himself away from the table, an odd shade of green and Naruto did his best to keep from throwing up.

"Tama! What did you do?"

"Yaoi!" Tama chirped and Sakura paled at the thought.

"Where did you learn something like that?"

"From Karin!" She giggled and Sakura nearly hit her head on the table.

And she thought that the Sunshine Village was safe for children!

"DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH ME!" She heard Naruto scream and tried her best to keep her laughter down. Sakura reached under the table and ran her finger up Kakashi's leg, causing him to run.

She looked over at Tama and just about died laughing.

Sasuke frowned.

He'd never thought to use the...

"Wait a second! How did she sharingan two people at the same time!"

"Can't you?" Tama looked up and Sasuke paled.

"Just like your father." Sasuke frowned.

This happened to be the time that the door behind her opened and she felt a breeze on her back. She wouldn't have turned, except Sasuke and Day both went still, staring over her shoulder.

Sakura turned, seeing Itachi in the doorway of the tiny Konoha restaurant.

He looked over and saw her watching and noticed Day at the table. He sighed and Sasuke stood up, growling.

"Where in the hell have you been?"

"I had things to take care of. I took out three villages on my own. I didn't leave because I wanted to. I left because my mission came in." Itachi frowned. "It took a long time, and when I got back I heard Sakura had been gone for years."

"She only got back a year ago. She's been alone this whole time! Hey asshole, meet your daughter!" Sasuke growled and Itachi froze, looking at the small girl who's eyes finally turned to the stranger.

She looked at him through the same eyes he had. She looked at him and her eyes narrowed.

"This is Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yes. This is your father." Sakura spoke softly, and Day frowned at the motion.

"Are you alright?"

"I have what I want. I'm happy with what I have." Sakura sighed and reached down, taking her tea and sipping slowly.

"He looks sad." Tama responded and Sakura turned to him with narrowed eyes.

Itachi smiled sadly. "I won't leave. If you're back with Day, then I'll have to stay for her." Itachi turned to Tama and smiled softly.

"Then you can stay for her. We're going back to Sunshine Village for a month, then we're coming down again to drop her off. She's going to become a ninja." Sakura smiled and Itachi looked at her.

"I'll buy a house here, then. When she comes down for school, I can take care of her."

Sakura turned to Tama, who looked at the man before her.

He looked broken somehow.

She smiled and stood, walking over.

She bent down into a low bow, her long hair falling over her shoulder.

"My name is Uchiha Tama. It is a pleasure to meet you." Her tone was so formal that she didn't sound like a five year old. Sakura watched, interested in what would happen.

Itachi fell to his knees and looked at her, a mix between shock and joy shined in his eyes.

"I am Uchiha Itachi. It is a pleasure..." He couldn't finish the sentence. He just sat there and looked at her.

Sakura stood and walked over, patting the confused Tama on the back. "He's really happy to meet you. He left before he knew about you." Sakura told the girl, who nodded.

She turned back to the man before her and just stared.

"I think he needs me, Mommy. I'll stay here." Tama spoke to Sakura, who just stared, confused.

Itachi looked at her, his eyes wide.

"You'd come with me now?"

"You're my father." Tama smiled and Itachi nodded, grabbing the girl and hugging her.

"I'm so sorry! Both of you, I'm sorry!" Itachi looked up at Sakura and she nodded.

"I just wish you would have told me what was happening. I finally decide to try and get over Day and you leave me the next morning. I swore after that that the only man I would ever love would be my husband."

"I wasn't allowed to say anything. I knew if I didn't leave like that I wouldn't have had the heart to go at all." Itachi smiled sadly. "That's why I knew not to come back. I knew I wasn't strong enough. That He'd be better for you. At least he had the guts to tell you why he was leaving." Itachi sighed, but shook his head.

"I need to get a house. You can stay with me, if you want." Itachi watched as Tama's small eyes shone. Sakura smiled brilliantly.

Even though she had Sasuke, she'd always wanted to know her father. This was perfect for her.

Day frowned, watching this.

"You better take care of her. We were just really becoming a family." Day frowned and Itachi turned to him with a frown.

"Shut the hell up. Not like you won't have one again here anyway." His angry tone quickly turned to a smug one as Day realized what this meant.

He turned to Sakura, who just stared.

"I just found out! I was gonna tell him when we got back! Damn you, spoiling my surprise!" Sakura huffed and Itachi stood with a smile.

"I have a feeling that everything is going to be great."

"Me too." Sakura smiled, looking around the room at the ones she cared for the most.

Everything was going to be great.

**The end**

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Yay! Hope you all enjoyed! Thank you all for reading! I have other stories that you can read as well!

It's been fun! See you next story!

JaNe!

jasminflower69


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